Leaders representing 59,000 women religious are questioning what they call a lack of full disclosure about what is motivating the Vatican’s apostolic visitation to study the contemporary practices of U.S. women’s religious orders. In a press statement on Aug. 17, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious also said the leaders “object to the fact that their orders will not be permitted to see the investigative reports about them” when they are submitted in 2011 to the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and its prefect, Cardinal Franc Rodé. Furthermore, no details about the study’s funding have been released by the office of the Apostolic Visitation of Institutes of Women Religious in the United States. Mother Mary Clare Millea, the apostolic visitor charged by the Vatican with directing the study, had said on July 31, “The reason we’re doing this is we want to help assess and promote the vitality of all the sisters.”
Women Religious Address U.S. Visitation
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
Working for the protection of people by safeguarding against the crime abuse is an integral expression of Christian faith. The successor of Pope Francis has the task of picking up where he left off and continuing resolutely. How can that be done?
Francis always encouraged me in our attempt to move forward as an ecumenical community and in welcoming young people from different churches who come to Taizé from all over the world. He was the pope, but also a father and a brother to me.
Pope Francis welcomed criticism—as long as it was not made behind his back.
The cardinals have asked Catholics to pray for them and the conclave. What exactly should we be praying for? And should we be scandalized by the intermingling of politics and spirituality?