Vatican Orders Crackdown On American Nuns

A response was issued from one of the nuns in one of the relevant lobbying organizations:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17794961

This quote seems to be crucial:

Network was singled out for criticism in the report for "being silent on the right to life" and other "crucial issues" to the church.

Sister Campbell suggested that her organisation's vocal support for President Barack Obama's healthcare bill was behind the slapdown.

"There's a strong connection," she said. "We didn't split on faith, we split on politics."

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The Vatican said that the mandate to carry out reforms of the nuns' leadership "will be for a period of up to five years, as deemed necessary".

Archbishop Sartain said, "I hope to be of service to them and to the Holy See as we face areas of concern to all."

But Sister Campbell suggested a difficult time ahead: "It's totally a top-down process and I don't think the bishops have any idea of what they're in for."

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Go, nuns!

Here's a news story from Taiwan about the sort of work nuns do:

Nuns’ devotion to the elderly in the spotlight

Care of seniors has become a big issue in the nation, which has a fast ageing population, and the Catholic sisters’ quiet devotion to less privileged elderly people in the north of the nation has recently caught the attention of local media.

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Some Chicago nuns react, as reported by just-won-a-Pulitzer columnist Mary Schmich:

Nuns stunned by Vatican's scolding: 'Another chapter in a long history of struggle between church leaders and church women'

Until they've collectively figured it out, a lot of nuns are staying mum.

"Women," said one, "know not to escalate the tensions in a relationship."

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If the old man and his minions had power over your speech and actions and life you would. This is expanded on upthread.

benbradley said:

Is there a Godwin-type word for mentioning the Catholic priest pedophilia scandal?

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If so, I already did it in post #6 of this thread.

frimble3 said:

Company town. That's exactly what I thought when someone upthread said "Why don't they 'just' quit?"
I was raised in an isolated company town. I was a kid, so it didn't affect me personally, but if you quit or were fired, you had nothing left.
There was no other work, if they didn't want you, you had to leave: your home (rented from the company), your friends, everything you knew. Sure, you could take your possessions, your family, it wasn't slavery, but you were uprooting your family as well.
And the company liked to hire family men, because it was harder to move. A young single guy can just put his clothes in a bag and takes the next boat out of town.

Vocation aside, it's got to be really hard for a middle-aged woman, who has spent most of her life in a convent, and didn't plan to leave, to suddenly lose her home, her friends, her habits (in both meanings) and have to start an 'outside' life from scratch.
How many of them will get another job in nursing/teaching if they had been hired because they were nuns?

On the other hand, if the Church is trying to discourage women from taking up a vocation,
Is there a lot of money to be made in selling off convent lands?

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Thanks for the firsthand experience of company towns.

As for discouraging women to become nuns: I find it ironic that the stated reason for the Vatican beginning the Inquisition's investigation of American nuns two years ago was in order to determine why there were so few of them and why their numbers were declining. (At least, I'm pretty sure I ran across that ... No reference at the moment but will double check later)

shakeysix said:

minions? we're not talking about lex luthor. we are talking about a frail, 80 year old man who means well but is hopelessly mired in the past. he is surrounded by circle upon circle of cranky old men who are determined to hang on to the middle ages.

the leadership is stuck in the mud and the whole church is walking around them. it has happened before. it will happen again. the conservatives usually win in the short term but the progressives win in the end--s6

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If a group of people in relation to another group of people have all the power, all the money, all the material goods, and the stated right and capacity to force the other group to obey, then their age and state of health are irrelevant.

It is also not entirely clear that this group "means well."

Things have changed since I was in the convent, but in 1981 I was 19 years old, had 6 weeks of "methods" courses (how to teach stuff), and was teaching in Catholic schools. Sure, I was getting my degree at the same time, but the rules were different for Catholic schools. The habit made you ageless. I had 17-year-old, 6-foot tall basketball players obeying me. They had no idea of my credentials or lack thereof.

Fast-forward to today. I would have my degree and teaching certification. I would be 51 years old and, if the worst happened, I'd be in a dirt-cheap apartment trying to find a teaching job. I'd be up against eager young college graduates who would be willing to work for a lot less money. I'd also be trying to learn how to deal with the real world--a world which I'd been sheltered from for 30 years.

I can say with perfect confidence that American nuns right now are furious--and frightened. When a nun takes final vows, she vows poverty, chastity, and obedience, the latter to the superior of the convent and to the Pope. He owns her. He has the power to throw her into the street with nothing but the dowry she brought X-many years ago in her pocket. In my case, that would've been $200 plus any interest accumulated.

I disagree that the current Pope is feeble and ruled by his cardinals. Sure, much of the work is done by a small army of cardinals, monsignors, priests--and nuns. But he's not a powerless figurehead being propped up for photo ops. He's an active, intelligent, evil man with the power, skills, and practically unlimited resources to enforce his will on millions of people. American nuns, in this case, will have a simple choice: knuckle under or get forcibly dispensed from vows.

"Dear American Religious: Don't let the church door hit you in the ass on the way out. Sincerely, Your Holy Father."

Yes. And it would be quite effective. These women aren't stupid. They're educated and smart and equipped to deal with making much from little. However, their faith is (in general) the strongest on the planet. They've dedicated their lives to God. Period. That includes buying into the RCC's rules for this life and the next. To threaten their chance at Heaven would be the practically unbeatable trump card.