WASHINGTON (RNS) A leader of the group of Catholic nuns who are facing a crackdown from the Vatican said Thursday (Aug. 16) that her members have no plans or desire to leave the church, or reconstitute their group beyond Vatican control.
Sister Mary Hughes, who ended a three-year term as president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious on Aug. 11, said there is little to no support to withdraw the LCWR from the church, where it could avoid a Vatican-order makeover.
"It is the deep desire of the membership to stay within the church and not move away from it," Hughes said at a luncheon at the National Press Club. "We derive our strength from the sacramental life of the church."
The Vatican has accused the LCWR, which represents about 80 percent of the nation's 56,000 Catholic sisters, of embracing strains of "radical feminism" and focusing on social justice at the expense of abortion and same-sex marriage. Hughes said her group is a leadership support group, not a "theological society."
"We don't see ourselves as a teaching arm of the church, nor is it our role to discuss church documents at our conferences," said Hughes, the prioress of the Sisters of St. Dominic in Amityville, N.Y.
When the LCWR met in St. Louis last week, the sisters said they wanted more dialogue with Rome, and Hughes said true dialogue is a two-way street. The sisters said they would reconsider their options if the LCWR “is forced to compromise the integrity of its mission.” Hughes said it would be "premature" to speculate on the outcome of fresh talks between the LCWR and a panel of bishops headed by Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartain.
Hughes said the nuns would resist any "effort to change us, to change the nature of who we are" by making them a mouthpiece for the bishops. The sisters, she said, are not interested in any attempts at "blind obedience" to the hierarchy.
"Real dialogue does not involve winners and losers; it's about a way in which we both get stretched," she said. "It's not defiance, it's wanting the church to be all that it can be. That prophetic voice will continue."
ModerateRealist | Aug 17, 2012 | 5:14pm
Gosh, this is so pathetic it’s dizzying. Like trying to corral a jellyfish. It’s a shame Sister only has two sides of her mouth to speak out of.
Patrick X. Crotty | Aug 18, 2012 | 4:21pm
The Sisters are the moral voice of the Catholic Church in the United States.
They speak the truth and they speak the truth to power. Thank you Sisters.
The Sisters have this position, not because they took it from others (e.g.bishops) but because they have remained faithful to the gospel of Jesus while the Bishops have morphed into a partisan voice of the right wing of the Republican party. In doing so the Bishops have lost all credibility. This, along with their horrendous behavior in the pedophile scandals, show them to be a group of weak, self-protecting men. Compare the Penn State response to a similar (albeit much smaller) crisis. If Penn State handled their crisis like the Catholic Church the administration of Penn State would be appointing all coaches throughout the country. Jerry Sandusky may even be moved overseas and have a major participation in the appointments. He would play the same role as Bernard Law plays in the Catholic Church. Dolan in New York and Malone in Buffalo are two of Law’s disciples.
So the bishops attack the Sisters. What an injustice!
Stay strong Sisters. Since you have chosen to dialogue with these bishops see if you can bring about a change of heart but don’t give it too much time. The world needs you to keep working on the needs of the poor and marginalized.
Kelly | Aug 23, 2012 | 2:24pm
The good sisters are welcome to continue to work on the needs of the poor and the marginalized. If, however, they wish to do so as Roman Catholic religious who are supported by the Church, they must submit to the authority of the Magisterium. Period.
Geoffe | Sep 2, 2012 | 2:17am
The Pope referred to Judas in his Homily (late August 2012). Judas had lost his faith in Jesus because Jesus didn’t match what he expected a proper Messiah should have been. Unlike other disciples who had decided to leave because they couldn’t accept Jesus’ hard teachings, Judas was insincere and stayed with Jesus even as his heart and faith had already left.
The LCWR, and those sisters choosing to be represented by them, have already had their minds, hearts, and consciences abandon the Church - led by the Pope and the Bishops in communion. For as long as they continue to identify themselves as Catholics in their state, they are not only being insincere with our Church but dishonest with themselves. They do nobody a favor except for the Devil himself.
Closing thoughts from the Pope: “Insincerity is the mark of the Devil himself.”