Ex-members of Amy Coney Barrett's faith group, People of Praise, want it discussed at her confirmation

Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump's third Supreme Court nominee, is Catholic, which isn't very controversial — five of the eight sitting justices are also Catholic, as are the Democratic presidential nominee and the Democratic House speaker. But Barrett also belongs to a charismatic, communitarian, socially conservative ecumenical faith community called the People of Praise, and that's more unusual. Some former members of the group tell The Associated Press it's an integral enough part of her life and it should be discussed in her confirmation hearing.

Some of the dozen former members "were proud and excited that one of their own could soon be on the high court, in a position to roll back abortion rights," AP reports. "Others were deeply concerned about that threat, and also about the community's teachings on gender, gay rights, and other social issues. They also raised flags about what they describe as the organization's authoritarian structure. Some wondered why Barrett has not disclosed or even acknowledged her connection to People of Praise and why the group appeared to try to hide her affiliation by deleting documents from its website."

Barrett was reportedly raised in the People of Praise community before joining of her own accord as an adult. Some former members "said Barrett should make public the covenant she signed to become a member, so people can read for themselves the pledge she made to become a permanent part of the community," AP reports. Along with strong opposition to abortion, the group has been described as hierarchical, with men seen as "divinely" ordained heads of their families and wives obliged to submit to them.

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"I don't think membership in the group is disqualifying," Rachel Coleman, who left the community in 2010, told AP. "I think that she needs to be open about it and transparent about it." A spokesman for the group, Sean Connolly, told AP that "the People of Praise does not take positions on partisan political matters, legislation, or constitutional interpretation," nor "who should or should not sit on the U.S. Supreme Court."

People of Praise was not a topic in Monday's first day of hearings. Republicans "spent an inordinate amount of time crowing about" Barrett's seven children, while Democrats showed a "near-singular focus" on the Affordable Care Act, plus the GOP's unseemly, hypocritical rush to confirm Barrett, Robin Givhen recounts at The Washington Post. Barrett spoke for only about 12 minutes.