VATICAN: Leaders of American nuns who were criticised for being too feminist and politicised have faced off with Roman Catholic doctrinal officials to defend themselves against the accusations

Record ID: 837038

  • Title: VATICAN: Leaders of American nuns who were criticised for being too feminist and politicised have faced off with Roman Catholic doctrinal officials to defend themselves against the accusations
  • Date: 13th June 2012
  • Summary: VATICAN CITY (JUNE 12, 2012) (REUTERS) ST. PETER'S SQUARE PILGRIMS BUILDING OF THE SANT'UFFIZIO, SEAT OF THE VATICAN CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH OFFICES SWISS GUARDS (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT OF LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE OF WOMEN RELIGIOUS, SISTER PAT FARRELL SAYING: "That's all we have to say. We are grateful for the opportunity of an open dialogue and we will.., the next step will be that we'll talk to our members to decide how to proceed from here." (REPORTER ASKS: "How was the atmosphere during the meeting?"). "We had open dialogue." (REPORTER ASKS: "Are you are going to have another meeting in Rome) "We are going to take this one step at the time." EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE OF WOMEN RELIGIOUS, SISTER JANET MOCK AND SISTER PAT FARRELL SURROUNDED BY JOURNALISTS SISTER MOCK AND SISTER FARRELL WITH ST.PETER'S BASILICA IN THE BACKGROUND SISTER MOCK AND SISTER FARRELL WALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) REUTERS VATICAN CORRESPONDENT PHILIP PULLELLA SAYING: "The Vatican has said that the Women Leadership Conference, which represents about 80%, some 60 thousand nuns in the United States, has to re-write their statutes, which is expected to take at least five years. So, clearly now what they want to do is to enter a negotiation so as to be seen that they are not just capitulating to what the Vatican is demanding of them, but that they could have a say in the re-writing of statutes of their organization. They had an enormous amount of public support, there was a groundswell of support for these nuns when they were criticised by the Vatican, so they are very, very heartened by that." SISTER MOCK AND SISTER FARRELL WALKING IN SAINT PETER'S SQUARE VATICAN CITY (JUNE 11 2012) (REUTERS) NEWS CONFERENCE AT HOLY SEE (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) VATICAN SPOKESMAN FATHER FEDERICO LOMBARDI SAYING: ""Our hopes are pretty obvious, we hope for a positive outcome for everybody, for the church and the Women's Congregation." VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 28th June 2012 13:00
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  • Topics: Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA9LRLEZ6UB4IFPWQUMTS9P5S57
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  • Story Text: Leaders of American nuns who were criticised by the Vatican for being too feminist and politicised on Tuesday (June 12) faced off with Roman Catholic doctrinal officials to defend themselves against the accusations.
    "We had open dialogue," said Sister Pat Farrell, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), after she and Sister Janet Mock, the executive-director, met Cardinal William Levada and other Vatican doctrinal officials.
    In April, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which Levada heads, issued a blistering report on the LCWR, whose members represent some 80 percent of the more than 60,000 American Catholic nuns.
    The assessment was issued after a Vatican investigation determined the LCWR had "serious doctrinal problems" and promoted "radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith".
    The two nuns, who seemed confident as they left the Vatican, said they would refer to an assembly of the group in August before responding to the Vatican's charges.
    "We are grateful for the opportunity of an open dialogue and the next step will be that we'll talk to our members to decide how to proceed from here," Farrell said.
    A Vatican statement said the meeting provided the opportunity to "discuss the issues and concerns raised by the doctrinal assessment in an atmosphere of openness and cordiality."
    It also sternly reminded the nuns that the LCWR "remains under the supreme direction of the Holy See".
    "The Vatican has said that the Women Leadership Conference, which represents about 80%, some 60 thousand nuns in the United States, has to re-write their statutes, which is expected to take at least five years" explained Reuters Vatican correspondent Philip Pullella.
    "So, clearly now what they want to do is to enter a negotiation so as to be seen that they are not just capitulating to what the Vatican is demanding of them, but that they could have a say in the re-writing of statutes of their organization" Pullella said.
    "They had an enormous amount of public support, there was a groundswell of support for these nuns when they were criticised by the Vatican, so they are very, very heartened by that" he said.
    Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartain, who has been named by the Vatican to undertake the reforms of the LCWR's statutes, programmes and its application of liturgical texts, was also present at the meeting. The process could take up to five years.
    The April assessment also criticised the LCWR for challenging bishops and for being "silent on the right to life", saying it had failed to make the "Biblical view of family life and human sexuality" a central plank in its agenda.
    On Monday Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said he hopes were that the meeting would be productive for both sides.
    "Our hopes are pretty obvious, we hope for a positive outcome for everybody, for the church and the Women's Congregation" Lombardi said.
    American nuns and bishops have been at odds over several social issues. The nuns supported President Barack Obama's health care reform, while the bishops opposed it.
    Many nuns said they were hurt by the Vatican's report, which they felt misunderstood their intentions and work for social justice.
    But the American nuns received a groundswell of support from Catholics and the media in the United States who defended their work with the poor and sick.
    Supporters of the nuns said the women had helped the image of the Church in the United States at a time when it was engulfed in scandal over sexual abuse of minors by priests.
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