Nun's Crusade Inspires Oscar-Nominated Film

By Jennifer Ludden

Published February 27, 2005 at 12:00 AM EST

When the red carpet rolls out for the Academy Awards on Sunday, 84-year-old Sister Rose Thering will be watching the ceremony with interest. Thering is the subject of Sister Rose's Passion, a short documentary nominated for an Oscar.

Directed by Oren Jacoby, the film traces Thering's struggles to reform the Roman Catholic Church and fight anti-Semitism. As a young nun, Thering challenged the church doctrine that had blamed Jews for the death of Jesus for thousands of years. Her work had a direct bearing on the historic Vatican II Council that formerly changed the church's position.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden speaks with Jacoby about Thering and the film.

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Jennifer Ludden

Jennifer Ludden helps edit energy and environment stories for NPR's National Desk, working with NPR staffers and a team of public radio reporters across the country. They track the shift to clean energy, state and federal policy moves, and how people and communities are coping with the mounting impacts of climate change.

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