Let’s Praise the US Catholic Nuns

Last week the heads of Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) met with the Vatican to discuss their differences. In April, the Vatican ordered three American Bishops to essentially assume leadership of the LCWR because it felt the nuns had strayed. After the meeting, the Vatican issued a statement saying The LCWR sisters were more focused on social justice efforts than on backing the bishops in their push against abortion and gay marriage.

The Vatican’s statement caused a flurry of outrage. Philadelphia Inquirer Farah Stockman wrote “Are we really supposed to believe that strong-willed nuns are more dangerous to Catholicism than child-molesting priests? That crusades against masturbation and gay marriage are more important than helping the poor? It's hard to imagine that Jesus would agree.”

Sister Pat Farrell, the president of the LCWR said in a NCR interview on Friday “The insinuation that I think many people could draw from reading that Vatican document is that if we raise those questions, we’re unfaithful to the church. That’s not true. And I don’t think that’s really fair. I think, in fact, that that is a sign of our deepest faithfulness to the church -- questions that the people of God need to raise, that we need to talk about together in a climate of genuine dialog.”

Sister Farrell is correct because our higher powers can only speak to us in a language we understand. Two thousand years ago man thought the earth was the center of the universe. Two thousand years ago child mortality rates were so high it wouldn’t make sense to talk about birth control. Two thousand years ago woman did not have the sanitary products we have today and were mostly secluded during menstruation. Two thousand years ago size, not intelligence was the only thing that mattered. Life has changed!

Personally, I thank Sister Farrell and all the LCWR for their peaceful leadership and fight against social injustice. They give me hope!