Vatican Orders Crackdown On American Nuns

Ketzel · Apr 22, 2012

callalily61 You are clearly the expert here. I'm not even Catholic, but I worked for many years for a Catholic school, in a context that provoked many discussions of comparative religious beliefs and I know many priests and nuns as a result. I understood that, broadly speaking, the Pope can excommunicate individual nuns, or all of the members of a organization that he considers heretical or schismatic. This cuts them off from all the spiritual benefits of the church, including taking the sacraments, until they do whatever is considered necessary to abjure their heretical or schismatic ways. (Or until the Pope changes his mind about the reason for the excommunication - see, the discussions about returning the Society of St. Pius X to the fold.)

But I thought that only God has the power to eternally damn someone? I'd like to think that if all the nuns in the US are excommunicated for taking care of the sick and the poor and the prisoners, etc., instead of screeching publicly about gay marriage and abortion at every opportunity, God's wrath would be directed at the Pope, not the nuns. Please don't misunderstand me; I'm not downplaying the threat that excommunication poses, or its force.
I do think being betrayed and cast out by a church to which you have devoted your life would inflict as much spiritual agony as it would material harm. But the Pope can't damn someone to hell, can he? Or can he? Yikes.

Alessandra Kelley · Apr 22, 2012

"Obey or be cast out of all communion."

It's pretty strong, even if not damnation.

Calla Lily · Apr 22, 2012

Ketzel, I'm only an "expert" in that I've actrually been a nun. I think I may be the only ex-nun on AW.

I haven't been a Catholic for decades, but I did a bit of research on this, and I've made a couple of errors. I'm worng here. The nuns and priests you've talked to are right. Excommunication doesn't condemn someone to hell. It kicks them out of the church: they can't receive the sacraments, take Communion, etc. It's supposed to be a major wake-up call to repent, although I've seen it used like a final divorce proceedings: Stay away forever, we don't want you. It's like your husband coming home one day, saying that you didn't live up to his expetations, kicking you out, and changing the locks. You're not dead, you're not damned, but you're utterly bereft.

Some people pick up and move on. Some will do whatever they have to not to let this happen.

citymouse is one of our expert Catholics here on AW, though. That's the person to really answer this question.

Ari Meermans · Apr 22, 2012

Okay. Got it. Callalily, you were referring to excommunication and I was referring to anathema. I should have been more clear. My apologies to all.

Nymtoc · Apr 22, 2012

"The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary faced a similar problem with Cardinal McIntyre in the 1970's. Their solution: remove themselves from the auspices of the Catholic Church and form the Immaculate Heart Community which continues to do good 'social justice' work."

The above is from a reader's comment on: Sisters of mercy, devotion — and dismay - latimes.com

Separating yourselves from a Cardinal is undoubtedly easier than separating yourself from the Vatican. The more knowledgable AWers will be able to speak more cogently on this subject.

The whole thing sucks.

SteveCordero · Apr 22, 2012

Some clarification here is needed. The LCWR isnt a religious order. It is essentially a professional organization for nuns. As such, there is an option to disband the LCWR rather than abide by the Vatican decree.

Calla Lily · Apr 22, 2012

That's true, but then what voice will American nuns have? This organization at least unified things. I don't know if the US Conference of Catholic Bishops paid one iota of attention to it, but it brought together nearly 60,000 nuns of many disparate Communities. To have their voice taken away is just the first shot in a war that may already be lost.

Pessimism, I has it.

RichardGarfinkle · Apr 22, 2012

The particulars of this situation bring to mind something that's always worried me about the monastic vows. It's the vow of obedience.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vow_of_obedience

"The evangelical counsel of obedience, undertaken in a spirit of faith and love in the following of Christ who was obedient even unto death requires a submission of the will to legitimate superiors, who stand in the place of God when they command according to the proper constitutions."

It's pretty clear from the source materials (the various monastic Rules and Medieval discussion of virtues) that the paractice of obedience is meant to instill the virtue of humility.

That's all well and good, but I 've never seen anywhere the obvious corollary that the practice of being obeyed risks installing the vice of pride.

That very phrase 'stand in the place of God' shouldn't that send out warning bells of the dangers of being in the positions to be obeyed?

So many of the vices of the religiously powerful seem to stem from this position of being placed in divine authority over others. I would think that being put in such a job would terrify anyone of sincere conviction.

I'm tempted to end this cynically, but I'll resist.

Calla Lily · Apr 22, 2012

Let me tell you about my Novice Mistress...

On second thought, let's skip that. :chair

frimble3 · Apr 22, 2012

SteveCordero said:
Some clarification here is needed. The LCWR isnt a religious order. It is essentially a professional organization for nuns. As such, there is an option to disband the LCWR rather than abide by the Vatican decree.

The Pope is a union-buster! :rant:

Zoombie · Apr 22, 2012

Maybe a nun should nail a proclamation to a Church door...

benbradley · Apr 22, 2012

Zoombie said:
Maybe a nun should nail a ~~proclamation~~ ~~priest~~ rat to a Church door...

That "proclamation" thing is so half-a-millenium ago...

Alessandra Kelley · Apr 22, 2012

frimble3 said:
The Pope is a union-buster!

Yeah.

Zoombie said:
Maybe a nun should nail a proclamation to a Church door...

Problem is, the nuns don't want to separate from the church the way Luther did. They've all taken a vow of obedience, and when you're a religious that's pretty serious. They care for this church, they care about it.

Obviously I'm not an expert, but I imagine what a lot of the nuns hope for is to be rightly governed. The men of the Catholic church hierarchy are in the soul-endangering position of having the power of life and death over many people, and so it is imperative that they be as good and virtuous and humble shepherds as they can manage. I think that's what nuns hope for from them.

By the way, while the Pope can't technically cast people into hell, if he excommunicates them, doesn't that mean they can't receive absolution for their sins and thus are barred from heaven?

Calla Lily · Apr 22, 2012

Alessandra Kelley said:
By the way, while the Pope can't technically cast people into hell, if he excommunicates them, doesn't that mean they can't receive absolution for their sins and thus are barred from heaven?

Alessandra, for what I researched today, the spirit of excommunication is like a bucket of cold water over the recipient's head. It's supposed to make them change their life and ask for permission to Confess their sins and get reinstated. That's what it's suppoed to be. How it works IRL, well, I don't know.

SteveCordero · Apr 22, 2012

callalily61 said:
That's true, but then what voice will American nuns have? This organization at least unified things. I don't know if the US Conference of Catholic Bishops paid one iota of attention to it, but it brought together nearly 60,000 nuns of many disparate Communities. To have their voice taken away is just the first shot in a war that may already be lost.

Pessimism, I has it.

Lily, we're lockstep here and I completely agree. I was just pointing out the important distinction because if it was a single order it would be easier for the Vatican to impose its will and quell rebellion. But the fact that it is the LCWR makes it more difficult because there are many orders involved. The rebellion is like a virus now and the Vatican's actions make it more likely than less likely to make it increase.

So the LCWR can disband or become a puppet of the Seatle Bishop now that the Vatican put him in charge of the organization.

The LCWR was a wonderful organization and its sad to see its demise as we know it, but this is only the beginning because remember--there are not enough new American nuns and priests to replace the old. In other words, both vocations are dying in this country and the old ways are dying with them.

Lastly, we cannot forget that the Catholic church is ONLY growing in places like South America and Africa where social justice takes precedence because of the impoverished communities where these nuns and priests come from.

kuwisdelu · Apr 22, 2012

benbradley said:
That "proclamation" thing is so half-a-millenium ago...

I was going to institute the following correction:

Zoombie said:
Maybe a nun should ~~nail a proclamation to~~ DDoS a Church ~~door~~ website...

But current Church practices are so half-a-millenium ago...

Marya · Apr 23, 2012

Benedict's doctrinal putsch continues -- the response of Sr Simone Campbell, executive director of social justice lobby Network:

'to have this edict never mention the Gospel, never mention the responsibility to be God’s arms and hands with people who are poor and suffering, the people at the fringes, people who suffer injustice, to have that not at all seen is extremely painful.'

http://www.cathnewsusa.com/2012/04/...vatican-reprimand-like-a-sock-in-the-stomach/

If the Leadership Conference of Women Religious is forced to disband, the real losers will be neither the Catholic hierarchy, nor women religious but the poor who need that quality of advocacy, informed medical ethics and service.

Callalily, I never joined a religious order but as a convert in my early 20s I worked with Justice & Peace groups, lay Fransciscan, Ignatian and Carmelite groups. A steep learning curve in understanding top-down processes.

Romantic Heretic · Apr 23, 2012

It's something that has happened a thousand times in history.

An organization and thus the organization's hierarchy starts to lose power. In order to keep power they start enforcing discipline amongst the members of the organization. They set the rules on behaviour in stone.

Unfortunately they forget there is only one place in the universe where things are set in stone, among the fossils.

Nymtoc · Jun 2, 2012

My ex-nun friend forwarded this to me. It may be of some interest to you:

Thank you so much for your prayer, fasting and all your support during the days we have been meeting. While you were fasting, we were feasting on the gifts you sent including cookies, candy, fruit, cake, appetizers and suitable drinks! Your words to us were a great source of encouragement and we entered these days of discernment with gratitude and a sense of trust and courage, knowing you were with us. We began on Tuesday by taking time in small groups and large to share our reaction to the CDF document. There was a general sense of anger, sadness and feelings of betrayal. Talking through these emotions gave us an opportunity to name realities. In the room were copies of the thousands of letters we have received from laity and religious throughout the world. Present too were letters from religious conferences throughout the world, as well as groups representing priests, women's organizations, ecumenical and interfaith consortia. All of this gave evidence that while this moment is focused on LCWR, we represent the issues of a much larger Church community. Within the context of prayer and contemplation, we heard wisdom reported from every region and took time to note the similarities among regions and the distinct flavor of each area. We were blessed with rich resource people for facilitation and discernment, canon and civil lawyers who advised us of our rights and responsibilities as members of the Board and gave us a sense of the importance of these times within the larger context of Church history. We approved the bylaws of the LCWR Civil Corporation distinct from the canonical entity of LCWR. These bylaws are filed in the State of Maryland. Following prayer, reflection and deep conversation, we developed a plan of action for the months leading up to the August Assembly. This plan included the following:

Pat Farrell and Janet Mock will go to Rome on June 12 to meet with Cardinal Levada and Archbishop Sartain to address points within the CDF document that misrepresent LCWR and to gather any information that will assist members in their discernment about LCWR's next steps
Pat Farrell will be interviewed by several media outlets. Talking points will be sent to the members within the week should one of you be contacted by local media.
Each regional chair will convene a regional meeting between the Rome visit and the Assembly (in person or electronically) to give members an opportunity to share their concerns and to hear the direction to which the Spirit seems to be leading
Each congregation is invited to engage its members as appropriate in ongoing prayer and conversation to increase inner freedom and gather pertinent information
We encourage as many LCWR members as possible to attend the Assembly in St. Louis, August 7-10. Through process at the Assembly, we hope to articulate a direction for the Conference.

This action plan is designed to provide opportunity for members to express the range of emotions that accompanies this event in our lives. It is our hope that when members come to the Assembly, we can then more effectively put our energies toward a creative response to the CDF document that will honor the integrity of each congregation and the Conference and build up the People of God, who have been so supportive of us during these weeks. As we move forward let us hold one another in prayer and beg for the grace to be open to the direction of the Spirit. Gratefully, Pat Farrell, OSF Mary Hughes, OP Florence Deacon, OSF Janet Mock, CSJ

<www.lcwr.org >
Facebook: facebook.co
June 1, 2012 Contact: Annmarie Sanders, IHM LCWR Director of
Communications

Statement of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious Regarding CDF Report

[Washington, DC] The national board of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) held a special meeting in Washington, DC from May 29-31 to review, and plan a response to, the report issued to LCWR by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The board members raised concerns about both the content of the doctrinal assessment and the process by which it was prepared. Board members concluded that the assessment was based on unsubstantiated accusations and the result of a flawed process that lacked transparency. Moreover, the sanctions imposed were disproportionate to the concerns raised and could compromise their ability to fulfill their mission. The report has furthermore caused scandal and pain throughout the church community, and created greater polarization.

The board determined that the conference will take the following steps:
· On June 12 the LCWR president and executive director will return to Rome to meet with CDF prefect Cardinal William Levada and the apostolic delegate Archbishop Peter Sartain to raise and discuss the board’s concerns. · Following the discussions in Rome, the conference will gather its members both in regional meetings and in its August assembly to determine its response to the CDF report.

The board recognizes this matter has deeply touched Catholics and non-Catholics throughout the world as evidenced by the thousands of messages of support as well as the dozens of prayer vigils held in numerous parts of the country. It believes that the matters of faith and justice that capture the hearts of Catholic sisters are clearly shared by many people around the world. As the church and society face tumultuous times, the board believes it is imperative that these matters be addressed by the entire church community in an atmosphere of openness, honesty, and integrity.

LCWR has approximately 1500 members who are elected leaders of their religious orders, representing approximately 80% of the 57,000 Catholic sisters in the United States. The conference develops leadership, promotes collaboration within church and society, and serves as a voice for systemic change. Created in 1956, LCWR has a history of being at the forefront of change and renewal in the US Catholic church as well as acting as a strong advocate for social justice in society.

RichardGarfinkle · Jun 8, 2012

Brothers are standing up for Sisters.

The Franciscan Friars in the US are standing up for the LCWR against the Vatican.

They even explicitly invoked Vatican II.

However, your gift to the Church is not only one of service, but also one of courageous discernment. The late 20th century and the beginning of this century have been times of great social, political and cultural upheaval and change. Such contextual changes require us, as faithful members of the Church, to pose questions that at first may appear to be controversial or even unfaithful, but in fact are asked precisely so that we might live authentically the charisms we have received, even as we respond to the “signs of the times.” This is the charge that we as religious have received through the “Decree on the Renewal of Religious Life” from the Second Vatican Council and subsequent statements of the Church on religious life. We believe that your willingness to reflect on many of the questions faced by contemporary society is an expression of your determination to be faithful to the Gospel, the Church, the invitation from Vatican II and your own religious charisms. We remain thankful for and edified by your courage to engage in such reflection despite the ever-present risk of misunderstanding.

Andrew Sullivan has the full text:
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/06/the-franciscans-come-to-the-nuns-rescue.html

Marya · Jun 8, 2012

Following on with this thread to note the Vatican crackdown on Sr Margaret Farley (Sister of Mercy) teaching at Yale Divinity School, for her book Just Love, published in 2006.

[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/05/us/sister-margaret-farley-denounced-by-vatican.html?_r=1[/FONT]

ViolettaVane · Jun 8, 2012

I'm horrified by this. I do volunteer work and one of the most outstanding people in the community is a nun. She's in her late seventies and has no other means of supporting herself. She's spent her whole life helping the poor and now the pope is kicking her to the curb because she.... doesn't hate gay people sufficiently. It makes me absolutely furious.

I ran across this organization:
http://www.nunjustice.org/

Marya · Jun 9, 2012

Violetta, I'm with you.

One aspect of this debate is that the theology of academics like Margaret Farley is not limited to academia but grounded in the real hard praxis of women religious working with marginalised communities. That is what gives it so much credibility, like Farley's earlier work in Compassionate Respect that looked at bioethics and the ethics of medical care.

The timeline of this particular crackdown on a book first published in 2006 bothers me. The book won a theological award in 2008 and was used in teaching for four years -- I suspect the Vatican began looking at the women religious in the US in 2010 and trying to find fault there as a distraction from the issues to do with child abuse and corruption in the Catholic Church in the US. If this book, Just Love, dealing with masturbation, same-sex relationships and remarriage after divorce, was such a contradiction to official Catholic teaching, wouldn't Rome have acted sooner?

[On the plus side, the book is now selling like hot cakes and .there has been an upwelling of support for Margaret Farley as a theologian writing in the same tradition as Charles Curran and Hans Kung, as well as the medieval mystic, musician and herbalist Hildegarde of Bingen, about to be canonised as a Doctor of the Church.]

RichardGarfinkle · Dec 17, 2014

So, the final report of the Vatican's examination of US nuns has been issued. The tone of it and its conclusions are almost the opposite of what one expected. There are many indications in the report that the change of Popes prompted the change of conclusions.

In response to the appeal of Perfectae Caritatis to return to the Gospel, "the ultimate norm of religious life" and to "their founder’s spirit and special aim" (PC, 2 a & b) women religious sought to adapt their life style and mission in ways that might enable them to more effectively respond to contemporary needs. In a spirit of creative fidelity to their charisms, they branched out in new ministries to those most on the margins of the Church and society.

The bolded text is, from what I understand, a succinct embodiment of how churches can avoid being mired in past interpretations without throwing off all their founding concepts.

Section 8 of the document is entitled The Service of Authority. It seems to focus exclusively on service within the orders, not the authority of the hierarchy over the orders. Its last line is this:

It is essential that those who lead and those who obey are deeply convinced that since they are first and foremost sisters there is no room for authoritarianism or blind submission.

As for the primary mission for nuns. There is this:

Women religious in the United States can resonate with Pope Francis’ insistence that "none of us can think we are exempt from concern for the poor and for social justice" (Evangelii Gaudium, 201). Nearly all the foundresses/founders of religious institutes were very active in areas of social justice.

The attitudes of the sisters toward their roles in the Catholic Church and toward the investigation are addressed in these two paragraphs.

A number of sisters conveyed to the Apostolic Visitator a desire for greater recognition and support of the contribution of women religious to the Church on the part of its pastors. They noted the ongoing need for honest dialogue with bishops and clergy as a means of clarifying their role in the Church and strengthening their witness and effectiveness as women faithful to the Church’s teaching and mission. Some spoke of their perception of not having enough input into pastoral decisions which affect them or about which they have considerable experience and expertise.
This Dicastery is well aware that the Apostolic Visitation was met with apprehensionand suspicion by some women religious. This resulted in a refusal, on the part of some institutes, to collaborate fully in the process. While the lack of full cooperation was a painful disappointment for us, we use this present opportunity to invite all religious institutes to accept our willingness to engage in respectful and fruitful dialogue with them. As the International Theological Commission stated in a recent study: "[w]herever there is genuine life, tension always exists. Such tension need not be interpreted as hostility or real opposition, but can be seen as a vital force and an incentive to a common carrying out of [their] respective tasks by way of dialogue" (Theology Today: Perspectives, Principles and Criteria, 42).

All in all interesting and surprising. It isn't a revolution, but it isn't the feared crackdown either.

Vatican Orders Crackdown On American Nuns

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