Religious women resisting...
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
By Bryan Cones
Comments (7)
Wow. So I guess American women religious are not going to take the Vatican investigation lying down. With the Nov 20 deadline for the questionaires to be returned to the apostolic visitation's office, only 1 percent filled out the questionaire properly. The rest provided some mix of partial answers or their Vatican approved apostolic constitutions.
The act of ecclesial disobedience seems to be an unorganized spontaneous response, but the general feeling is that the investigation is at best intrusive and at worst a kind of violence against the sisters, according to a story from the National Catholic Reporter. Get a load of this zinger from an unnamed sister:
"On the one hand we didn't want to roll over and play dead," she said. "So the question was, 'How do you step outside a violent framework and do something new?' That was the challenge that emerged." One congregation, she said, cited a U.S. bishops' statement concerning domestic abuse in its response letter to [visitation head Mother Mary Clare] Millea. "The point is, there have to be more than two choices: Take the abuse and offer it up, or kill the abuser."
The more than 800 sisters who responded to US Catholic's survey on the visitation, to be published in the January issue of US Catholic, were equally blunt, though also incredibly gracious. The survey of our readers and website visitors--about 1,700 of them--however, drew, shall we say, more strongly worded responses in support of the sisters. Follow the links for a sneak peak, and you can also read Sister Sandra Schneiders explain why a Vatican investigation of US women religious is neither desirable nor justified.
I've long been against this visitation: I think it's both ungrateful and unfair (and if you'd like to read my column on the issue, please do). Now we have non-compliant women religious and no one wants to pay the $1.1 million pricetag for the inquiry.
Can we just call the whole thing off?
Posted in: In preview mode
I disagree completely with
By Sister Marie (not verified) on Wednesday, December 30, 2009I disagree completely with the above comments and the views expressed by the unnamed religious sister quoted in the article. As a religious sister I have no desire to be independent from the Church and I do not find the hierarchy to be abusive or violent. I do agree with Mr. Kelly when he says, "I think the male hierarchy should convert the female religious organizations into independent non-profits and let go of ineffectively claiming responsibility for them, and go about its own business, which is different from theirs." If women religious don't like the church, they can leave it. They are not being bound, they are free to leave and live according to their consciences.
Changing times and the Catholic Womens Religeous
By James (not verified) on Tuesday, January 12, 2010LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT? Isn't that the very attitude that caused Luther to break off and initiate the beginning of the protestant movement?
Sorry, I have to disagree with you Sister Marie. I think Luther should have remained in the church and sought to change what he could from within. Protestantism has not proven to be the answer to anything.
Call me a centrist, but I think Catholics should stick together and resolve their problems within the organization. A little give and take on both sides would better serve the church and it's community.
"a little give and take"
By kitty (not verified) on Saturday, January 30, 2010There are certain doctrines that are not negotiable. This is where the problem lies. If the problem were only about attire or something small like that, there would not be an apostolic visitation. Unfortunately, the visitation was prompted by sisters over the last 40 yrs who have thumbed their noses at Catholic Doctrine (e.g. God the Father). They want nothing to do with anything that they deem patriarchical. This is what Imean by non-negotiables. Does anyone agree with me?
some dogma should not be on the table
By Jim (not verified) on Saturday, January 30, 2010"there are dogmas belief in which is absolutely necessary as a means to salvation, while faith in others is rendered necessary only by Divine precept; and some dogmas must be explicitly known and believed, while with regard to others implicit belief is sufficient. "
Female religious autonomy
By Mr. Kelly (not verified) on Monday, November 30, 2009The American religious females are proudly demonstrating their independence from the male hierarchy, whom they consider to have treated them with violent abuse. They are showing great gumption and authenticity, together with deep commitment to the various projects they have gotten into over the years.
It's time the hierarchy should get real and step aside from trying to manage female religious and from interfering with their interests.
It is my impression that most of the religious female are self supporting by means of working at paying jobs and careers. I think the male hierarchy should convert the female religious organizations into independent non-profits and let go of ineffectively claiming responsibility for them, and go about its own business, which is different from theirs. I think the religious female communities should consider adopting a more charismatic evangelical religious lifestyle.
Responsibility????
By Dot (not verified) on Friday, June 11, 2010Mr. Kelly:
The male hierarchy have no responsibility for
woman relious communities...What they claim is
responsibility To THEM....for which they don't have
either.
Knowing the overwhelming
By Joan Krebs, Glenview, IL (not verified) on Friday, November 27, 2009Knowing the overwhelming majority of U.S. religious women refused to be boxed in by an abusive and therefore violent framework imposed on them gave me a great reason for thanksgiving. Previous to that I had been deeply distressed by output from the USCCB conference, plus two slick PR campaigns with homes in the Chicago Archdiocese ("Catholics Come Home" and "The Catholicism Project" endorsed by Cardinal George"). Thanksgiving would have been observed with a heart broken by recent events but hope is renewed by our courageous sisters who choose to walk in the footsteps of the nonviolent Jesus. Thanks be to God for this example!
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