We celebrate Catherine of Siena as an international political figure, a feminist hero, and a doctor of the church. To get a more accurate view of Catherine, imagine a scruffy, not-so-respectable version of Mother Teresa. Catherine was not a nun, however, but a member of the Dominican Third Order.
Thus she followed the life pattern of the Friars Preachers as a layperson. Think of her as an old-fashioned Italian matriarch, pious but sharp-tongued, who scandalized as many people as she influenced.
Picture this short, frail lady, garbed in worn, rough clothes, in some of her typical daily activities, which included:. Since , the papacy had been a cause of contention between the French and the Italians. Turmoil in Rome and conflict with the emperor had forced the popes to retreat to Avignon in southern France. Catherine shared the popular Italian desire to restore the papacy to Rome.
Pope Gregory XI was willing to make the move, but his powerful French advisers resisted. Catherine conducted a campaign of letters to all sides and offered to mediate directly. Apparently the pope had made a secret vow to move back to Rome, and this vow was revealed to Catherine. Not long after this encounter, Gregory XI returned the papacy to Rome. More than anything, a dual passion for God and for the welfare of others consumed Catherine.
As she pursued these passions, miracles happened. Once, Catherine prayed for two condemned prisoners, who were then profoundly touched by God. They were driven about town in a cart while executioners tore at their bodies with red-hot pincers. The condemned men showed no trace of remorse for their crimes and roared curses and blasphemies at the people who lined the streets. They had refused to speak with the priests who had offered to prepare them for death.
