Vatican still unsure what to do about liberal American nuns: As I See It

[theHandpuppet]

Cross-posted from Women's Rights & Issues group.

http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2014/08/american_nuns_group_locked_in.html
Vatican still unsure what to do about liberal American nuns: As I See It
By PennLive Op-Ed
on August 13, 2014
By Jason Berry

Key members of the US Catholic hierarchy are on hand for the Leadership Conference of Women Religious convention underway this week in Nashville...

...The rift opened in 2012 when the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith ordered the nuns, accused of "radical feminism," to revise their statutes. Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartain was assigned to oversee the sisters...

...If they do not conform, the ultimate penalty would be the loss of their designation as one of two groups of religious sisters with official standing in the Vatican. The other group of American sisters is much smaller and more orthodox. Leadership conference superiors represent 80 percent of America's 57,000 sisters.

Should Francis intervene, and side with those incensed at the direction the nuns have taken in more engagement with the poor, gay and marginalized, the sisters would become another Catholic group without Rome's approval — a rather large constituency, some might argue.... MORE at link provided above.

[theHandpuppet]

1. Related article - Michigan nun to lead group of sisters at odds with Vatican overseers

Last edited Wed Aug 13, 2014, 08:10 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.freep.com/article/20140811/FEATURES01/308110011/Catholic-Nun-Sharon-Holland-Vatican
the Detroit Free Press
Michigan nun to lead group of sisters at odds with Vatican overseers
August 11, 2014

Sister Sharon Holland, a Catholic nun who grew up in Pontiac as a judge’s daughter and became one of the highest-ranking women at the male-dominated Vatican, is used to navigating conflict and controversy.

And there’s more ahead...

...The Vatican is continuing a crackdown on the LCWR initiated under Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. At the time, a report by three American bishops decried the group as promoting a “radical feminist theme,” not doing enough to promote church teachings against issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage and featuring convention speakers whose writings strayed from Catholic doctrine.

The face-off is coming to a turning point. The Vatican has ordered the nuns to vet with its overseers who the LCWR chooses to honor and have speak at future meetings. At this week’s gathering, the LCWR is honoring Sister Elizabeth Johnson, a theologian whose writings have been criticized by a U.S. bishops group.... MORE at link provided above.

[cbayer]

2. I am hoping that Francis is going to take the american bishops

to task on this issue when he comes to the US.

He has an opportunity to intervene in a very positive way.

Good article by jason Berry. He has some great insights into the catholic church in the US.

[okasha]

3. We've known for a long time

that the Catholic laity is way out in front of the hierarchy. This is more evidence that the clergy in the trenches are, too. I'm also hoping that Francis will clean a few clocks. The bishops can lead, follow or get out of the way.

[trotsky]

5. And if he doesn't? What then?

Keep hoping?

[theHandpuppet]

4. Another related article - The Vatican Dismissed This Man for Supporting Women Priests

The Vatican Dismissed This Man for Supporting Women Priests
by Nancy Fornasiero
Freelance writer and editor
08/09/2014

(excerpts)
[regarding the ordination of women]
Q: Is it possible that none of your fellow priests share your views on this issue?

A: This injustice toward women and God had become so clear to me and I used to go to my friends and say, "I think we have a problem." They'd say, "Roy, it's not about equality, it's about roles. We're not prejudiced, we just have different roles." And I would say, "Are you sure it's not about power? Or sexism?" This all reminded me of my growing up in the South during segregation when we would claim that it wasn't racism at work, but of course it was. But back to my fellow priests...the core of the problem of them not supporting me is that they don't want to lose their power, privileges, and good standing. Simple as that. Fear...

Q: What do you make of the new RCWP community in Toronto?

A: The church hierarchy is not going to give up its power, so change has to come from the bottom up, in part from courageous women like these RCWPs in Toronto. It will come from people in the pews who support the ordination of women. This movement cannot be stopped. There were many who tried to stop the suffragette movement, including leaders in the Catholic Church. But they couldn't. Same thing goes for the civil rights movement. These movements were of God. They were rooted in justice, love, and equality...

...Q: Most Christian denominations have made significant strides in women's leadership. For example, the Anglican Church recently allowed women to become bishops. Why is the RC Church so averse to change?

A: I've been a priest for 40 years and I can assure you that we're talking about a real old boys' club. When we enter the seminary, we start to be seduced into seeing women as not being able to do what we can do as men -- we don't even realize it's happening to us. It's very subtle, but over time we begin to relate somehow to women as lesser. Unfortunately, Catholic priests and bishops and cardinals...we're a large group of bullies. We cause suffering to people. We make life very difficult in support of Church teachings simply because we want to hold onto power. That's what bullies do: they hold onto their power. They don't want to be challenged....

MORE at http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/nancy-fornasiero/women-priests-roy-bourgeois_b_5658339.html

[trotsky]

6. See, this is the kind of stuff that validates the doubt many of us have about the new pope.

Given the chance to take decisive action, he instead passively endorses the status quo.