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1. VALERIE SCHULTZ: Film documents battle for women to be priests

   By The Bakersfield Californian

   Monday, May 21 2012 11:38 AM

   There are things we Catholics are not supposed to consider. Sometimes those things may take up residence in our souls, however, and we feel nudged by the Spirit to ponder them. Such is the issue of the ordination of women to the Catholic priesthood.

   A patriarchal wind has long blown from Rome, engulfing both women and men. In spite of a shortage of vocations to the priesthood, any discussion of ordaining Catholic women has been labeled a "grave scandal" by the Vatican, a description that perhaps applies more aptly to the decades-long crisis of sexual abuse of children by ordained men, for which the church hierarchy is still trying to atone. On Holy Thursday of this year, Pope Benedict XVI used his global pulpit to reprimand priests, especially those in Ireland and Austria, who have spoken up in support of the ordination of women, and to denounce any discussion of the topic as "disobedience."

   Thus it is that when the documentary "Pink Smoke Over the Vatican" is shown in Bakersfield, there will not be a local priest or sister participating in the panel discussion following the screening. Produced and directed by Jules Hart, this 2011 award-winning documentary explores the controversial ordination of women to the Catholic priesthood. The women priests, in answering their calling, have been excommunicated from the church, a penalty that, as loyal Catholics obedient to the Holy Spirit, they reject.

   Cal State Bakersfield's Institute for Religion, Education, and Public Policy is sponsoring the Bakersfield screening of "Pink Smoke Over the Vatican." (Full disclosure: Author is a board member of IREPP, and part of the panel.) The event, at 7 p.m. Monday in the CSUB Student Union Multi-Purpose Room, is free to the public and open to all. IREPP is fortunate to welcome Dr. Juanita Cordero, who is an ordained Roman Catholic woman priest, here to present the film and lead the panel discussion. Dr. Cordero was ordained in 2007 and pastors a house church called the Magdala Catholic Community in Los Gatos. She will also preach at Grace Episcopal Church, located at Stockdale Highway and Real Road, at the 10 a.m. service on Sunday.

   Many Catholics wrestle with imposed silence when they feel compelled by conscience to speak of the forbidden. This is especially wrenching if one has taken a formal vow of obedience. It is not, however, an unfamiliar scenario in church history. Many a saint was first condemned as a sinner for his or her disobedience to authority. Father Roy Bourgeois, a Maryknoll priest for many decades, has written that "when we betray our consciences, we separate ourselves from God ... Sexism, like racism, is a sin. And no matter how hard we try to justify discrimination, in the end, it is not the way of God." Father Bourgeois, who is interviewed in "Pink Smoke Over the Vatican," has recently been dismissed from his order for his refusal to recant his public support of women priests.

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2. HERB BENHAM: Where angels, headless or not, fear to tread

   A friend was home alone while his wife was on a 10-day trip across the country to see family, which included the can't-do-anything-wrong grandchildren.

3. NICK STROBEL: Solar eclipse is top celestial spectacle

   The William M. Thomas Planetarium has closed for summer break, but there are some upcoming daytime astronomy events that you should check out. The first is the solar eclipse that happens Sunday.

4. SCOTT COX: Quality is best avenger against hype

   It's a pretty rare event when things that are heavily advertised live up to the hype. Rarer still is the product that exceeds the hype. "The Avengers" is a perfect example of how it can be done.

5. THE DISH: How will tomorrow taste?

   Contributing writer

6. PETE TITTL: Can a chain claim to be truly local? Applebee's does

   BY PETE TITTL

7. HERB BENHAM: A glorious day for a glorious sport--unless you're riding

   It was hot. Ninety four when we left. Even a frosty cold beverage struggles against 94.Yesterday, we attended the 5th stage of the Amgen Tour of California, an 18.7 mile-long time trial, that started and finished at BC. I have no idea who won. I was too busy eating the sloppy joe's from Moo Creamery, deep pit chicken from Prime Cut, the pita bread and dips from Cafe Med, bread pudding made by the BC Culinary Arts program washed down by ice-cold rose from Imbibe.

9. Fitness can be fun, or so Third Thursday assures us

   With bikes racing into town today for the Amgen Tour, it's only natural that other events, like Third Thursday, celebrate health and fitness.

10. CAMILLE GAVIN: Open for discussion: 'h#sht#g'

    Visual artists are known for their creativity, so the unusual title of the students' senior thesis show at CSUB should come as no surprise.
11. 

    Puppets for grown-ups on stage at The Empty Space

    "Avenue Q," said director Jason Monroe, is hilarious, relevant and fast-paced, zipping along at just over two hours, including intermission.
12. 

    STEFANI DIAS: Barbecue judges need more than empty stomach

    "I hope you didn't eat breakfast, because you're going to eat a lot of barbecue."
13. 

    Whose BBQ is biggest, baddest?

    Watching barbecue masters at the top of their game is thrilling, but Bakersfield's Biggest Baddest BBQ will do you one better with a shot at tasting a possible world champion.

14. It's bikes, bikes and more bikes

    In case the excitement surrounding the Amgen Tour hasn't made it perfectly clear to Bakersfield residents, May is all about bikes. But today's time trials and festival are just the beginning of a weekend of bicycle adventure.