Take some time today and give this article a careful read: "Cross Examination: Why is Rome Investigating U.S. Nuns?" The author, Sister X, purports to be an ordinary religious sister who is genuinely confused about the reasons behind the Vatican's two on-going investigations: the quality of life for sisters and a theological assessment.
This article has two features that regularly show up in these sorts "we're so confused about these investigations" pieces: 1). a failure to acknowledge the public and pervasive fall into radical feminist eco-paganism among some sisters and congregation; and 2). a recitation of the tired feminist meme that these investigations are all about power-hungry men in Rome wanting to rein in unruly women religious.
Right smack in the center of Sister X's piece is the absence of any sense at all that the theological assessment is a response to the LCWR's nearly 40 year history of public dissent not only from the Catholic magisterium but from just plain old Christianity itself! Sister X minimizes the Vatican's concern: "Certain problems, Levada explained, needed to be addressed. As it turns out, these have to do with the LCWR’s alleged failure to express sufficiently rigorous doctrinal compliance with several recent church documents." Yes, exactly, Sister. . .the Vatican is worried that when a sister is invited to the LCWR to give an address and in that address calls on your membership to "go beyond the Church. . .even beyond Christ himself" in their religious lives, the Vatican is worried that the LCWR is failing to express sufficiently rigorous doctrinal compliance. Only in the insular world of eco-feminist religious women can the denial of Christ and his Church be construed as being insufficiently theologically rigorous.
Another rhetorical move in these articles is to present the investigations as attempts by the Vatican to rein in unruly religious women. Apparently, the Evil Old Power Hungry Testosterone Poisoned Prelates in the Vatican have been so juiced about oppressing nuns and sisters in the U.S. that it's taken them nearly 40 years to get around to asking a few questions about what these women really believe as self-professed Catholics. Sarcasm aside, my point is simple: if reining in unruly women is the objective of these investigations, why has it taken 40 years to start?
What's most astonishing to me about this piece is the complete absence of any sense of responsibility on the part of these women for the decline and fall of women's religious life in the US. Sister X blames just about everyone in sight but will not look in the mirror and point. Religious women spend a great deal of time at their conferences and retreats patting themselves on the back for their courage, for telling the truth to power, for being open to difference, etc. Good! Are they courageous enough to devote their next LCWR meeting to speakers who will offer then substantial critiques of what they have done to religious life in the last 40 years? LCWR constantly harps on the meme that the Vatican doesn't listen to them. Do they listen to their critics? Do they embody what they want from the Church?
I think 99% of religious women could do just that. But I doubt the institutional pros who haunt the inner-workings of the LWCR could.
Right smack in the center of Sister X's piece is the absence of any sense at all that the theological assessment is a response to the LCWR's nearly 40 year history of public dissent not only from the Catholic magisterium but from just plain old Christianity itself! Sister X minimizes the Vatican's concern: "Certain problems, Levada explained, needed to be addressed. As it turns out, these have to do with the LCWR’s alleged failure to express sufficiently rigorous doctrinal compliance with several recent church documents." Yes, exactly, Sister. . .the Vatican is worried that when a sister is invited to the LCWR to give an address and in that address calls on your membership to "go beyond the Church. . .even beyond Christ himself" in their religious lives, the Vatican is worried that the LCWR is failing to express sufficiently rigorous doctrinal compliance. Only in the insular world of eco-feminist religious women can the denial of Christ and his Church be construed as being insufficiently theologically rigorous.
Another rhetorical move in these articles is to present the investigations as attempts by the Vatican to rein in unruly religious women. Apparently, the Evil Old Power Hungry Testosterone Poisoned Prelates in the Vatican have been so juiced about oppressing nuns and sisters in the U.S. that it's taken them nearly 40 years to get around to asking a few questions about what these women really believe as self-professed Catholics. Sarcasm aside, my point is simple: if reining in unruly women is the objective of these investigations, why has it taken 40 years to start?
What's most astonishing to me about this piece is the complete absence of any sense of responsibility on the part of these women for the decline and fall of women's religious life in the US. Sister X blames just about everyone in sight but will not look in the mirror and point. Religious women spend a great deal of time at their conferences and retreats patting themselves on the back for their courage, for telling the truth to power, for being open to difference, etc. Good! Are they courageous enough to devote their next LCWR meeting to speakers who will offer then substantial critiques of what they have done to religious life in the last 40 years? LCWR constantly harps on the meme that the Vatican doesn't listen to them. Do they listen to their critics? Do they embody what they want from the Church?
I think 99% of religious women could do just that. But I doubt the institutional pros who haunt the inner-workings of the LWCR could.
