A religious order here in Michigan, the Sisters of Mercy (in Alma), have offered some criticism to the LCWR. They have packaged part of the problem very neatly. God bless 'em!
Catholic News Agency reports (emphasis mine in bold):
Alma, Mich., Jun 14, 2012 / 02:15 am (CNA).- Physicians who are also Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma are criticizing the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and its defenders for using an impoverished “language of politics” instead of “the language of faith” in the dialogue with the Catholic hierarchy.
“There is no basis for authentic dialogue between these two languages. The language of faith is rooted in Jesus Christ, His life and His mission, as well as the magisterial teaching of the Church,” said the physician-sisters’ statement, which was issued after a June 2 meeting on the contributions of religious women in the healing ministry of the Catholic Church.
“The language of politics arises from the social marketplace,” they said. “The Sisters who use political language in their responses to the magisterial Church reflect the poverty of their education and formation in the faith.”
In April 2012, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released the results of a four-year doctrinal assessment which determined that the Leadership Conference of Women Religious exhibited a “crisis” of belief and “serious doctrinal problems.” The audit also found that letters from conference officers suggested the presence of “corporate dissent” from Church teaching on issues like the ordination of men to the priesthood and homosexuality.
The conference is made up of leaders from 1,500 women’s religious congregations. Those sisters represent some 57,000 American women religious.
In response, the conference’s board members charged that the assessment was “based on unsubstantiated accusations” and used “a flawed process that lacked transparency.” They said the report “caused scandal and pain throughout the church community, and created greater polarization.”
Critics of the Vatican assessment have found sympathy in major media outlets, some of which have depicted the action against the leadership conference as an attack on all religious sisters and nuns.
But the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma see things differently.
Sr. Jane Mary Firestone, RSM, an internist at Sacred Heart Clinic in Alma, Mich., who helped write her religious congregation’s statement, spoke about it with CNA. She said that there is no issue with people representing their perspective to the Church and stating where they see problems.
However, she said that critics of Vatican’s assessment are taking their action into “a political arena of demonstrations” and are “garnering support in a political sense.”
“That doesn’t feel very appropriate,” Sr. Firestone said June 13. In her view, the social marketplace uses “the language of majority rule” and does not necessarily have “a regard for authority.”
“They’ve taken this into the public political arena and it no longer stays in the dialogue of faith. Representation is always possible, dialogue is always possible, but it’s with the reverence towards the hierarchical Church.”
She said that the “language of faith” expresses belief in the Church and the authority of the Church. Catholics believe that when the bishops speak, they have “a different degree of authority” than when someone else does.
“In other words, the magisterial Church does direct for us the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as religious women,” she said.
Sr. Firestone said that while Catholics do not believe the bishops are canonized saints, they are “not just ‘a bunch of men.’”
Read the rest at CNA - there are more goodies packaged in the article: Sisters of Mercy doctors say LCWR is injecting politics into dialogue
I think this is just the beginning. I would not be surprised to see more religious orders issuing statements. This is just one of many examples of religious sisters who serve the poor AND ascent to the teachings of the Church. LCWR leaders make it seem like the two are water and oil.
I should mention that Ann Carey, who has long followed the LCWR and written about them, is going to be a guest on World Over Live tonight on EWTN at 8 PM (ET).
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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
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it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski
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