The LCWR represents about 80 percent of America’s 57,000 nuns.
The Vatican’s move has annoyed some American Catholics who feel a strong bond with sisters who do much of the hands-on work in parishes. “They have landed on this with a lot more strength than they did with the priest sex abuse,” noted Father Patrick Tonry, 78, spiritual director for the Dayton office of the Marianist Mission.
The Vatican’s move has sparked fierce debate among Catholics about whether it is the church or the American nuns who are overstepping their bounds. Is the church a patriarchal society that will not allow women to speak out, or are these nuns flagrantly flaunting church doctrine? The reaction among local Catholics has been wide-ranging, from those who support the Vatican to those who are considering leaving the church.
“It’s very important to realize that this is not addressed to 57,000 women who lead the church and the work they are doing,” said Beavercreek native Gina Loehr, who has authored four Catholic-themed books. “It’s not intended to be personal; it’s about the integrity of the doctrine. This is, after all, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). You can’t blame them for doing their jobs.”
Religious liberty
Tonry disagrees with the Vatican’s accusation of doctrinal errors: “They are forward-looking and challenging, and they might be on the liberal side every once in a while, but I have never noticed any doctrinal errors.”
Loehr, however, believes that the Vatican’s action shows consistency with church doctrine and beliefs: “People have the freedom to express their opinions, but there’s concern that those opinions aren’t given the stamp of official Catholic approval without demonstrating the consistency and authenticity of what the church has been teaching since the time of Christ.”
Sandra Yocum, chair of the religious studies department at the University of Dayton, marveled at the amount of publicity that has been generated about an organization previously little known even to many Catholics.
“You know it’s news when it’s on Stephen Colbert,” Yocum said. “On the one hand you have to remember there are some women who think this is great, and it’s time they crack down on nuns who do things that aren’t what nuns have done in the past, such as teaching, and are doing political advocacy work.”
Feminists are angry, Yocum said, “while those who are skeptical of feminists are relieved.”
Yocum said some Catholics feel a disconnect between the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ clarion call for religious liberty — condemning the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ mandate for contraception coverage — at the same time they are publicly disciplining nuns for speaking out on such issues as health care reform and the ordination of women. “People hear the arguments for religious liberty and then hear that there is to be no discussion of these issues, Yocum said. “That’s very hard within the American context of free speech.”
On the other hand, Yocum said, the Vatican’s supporters would say that “in public settings these nuns should stay within church teaching.”
Issues with nuns’ leadership
American nuns are remaining largely silent on the issue, at the request of the LCWR leadership, which is speaking only through press releases. In their initial statement, the LCWR was “stunned by the conclusions of the doctrinal assessment,” adding, “We were taken by surprise.”
Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle is leading the investigation, assisted by Bishop Leonard P. Blair of Toledo and Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, Ill. In a recent column for the Catholic Chronicle, Blair wrote there has been widespread misunderstanding about the intent of the assessment: “The biggest distortion is that the CDF and the bishops are attacking or criticizing the life and work of our Catholic sisters in the United States.” Instead, he said, the central focus is the 1,500 leaders of the LCWR.
In a statement issued last week, the LCWR countered, said the Vatican’s actions “are keenly felt by the vast majority of Catholic sisters who have elected, and therefore feel a close identity with, their leaders.” Countless letters of support from male religious as well as lay supporters, the statement continued, “indicate that many others are also concerned about how to live as people of faith in the complexities of these times.”
Laura Leming, a Marianist sister and chair of the sociology department at the University of Dayton, acknowledged that it has been a painful time for American sisters. “The public support has been very heartwarming at a time that is very difficult,” she said.
“We have been working very hard to be faithful, and it is very hard to have our intentions examined. Somebody baked us a pie, and somebody else baked us a cake to say that we appreciate you. We don’t do what we do for recognition; we are compelled by the love of God to do what we do. But we are grateful that so many people realize the gift that sisters have been to the church and continue to be.”
Tonry said that discouraging dissent is the last thing the church should be doing after the priest sex scandal.
“This could scare or inhibit somebody from asking good questions because they don’t know what the response will be,” he said. “They didn’t even talk to these women ahead of time, the whole study for women religious without consulting with women religious and then made them pay.
“It seems very top down, and we aren’t used to that in this country where we do things in a collaborative style. I realize the church is not a democracy, but it’s not helpful when you can’t even discuss a topic.”
Suppressing the nuns’ voices, Tonry believes, would be a major loss: “The LCWR are women religious who raise very good questions. Women religious have been a great prophetic voice, calling us forth in new things. They have led in so many areas with justice and peace and various educational endeavors and missions across the world like Sister Dorothy Stang.”
Hoping for dialogue
Yocum said the average Catholic is puzzled by the controversy but that it is causing some women to consider leaving the church: “I hear people saying, ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’ I wonder about younger women who might be wavering — who feel there are many things they like about being Catholic, but this could alienate them a bit further, and make them wonder if there’s a reason to be part of this church community. They might wonder if their voices are being heard or if they’re welcome.”
John Richardson of Dayton said he feels ashamed, at times, of being Catholic: “The Vatican and current Pope have destroyed the Catholic Church with their treatment of nuns, not adapting where appropriate, protection of pedophiles, and a blind eye to urban Catholics.”
Yvonne Giambrone of Beavercreek, who is Loehr’s mother, is among the many who remain a proud, traditional Catholic who has profound gratitude for the work of nuns. She is saddened by the controversy, which is partly based on misinformation, she said.
“I feel my Catholic faith is very much a part of who I am and what I believe. The Holy Spirit is so powerful and leads our church. I choose to be Catholic, and I believe in one holy Catholic apostolic church, and I believe they have the truth. If you are not standing for what the church teaches, why do you call yourself Catholic?”
Karla Hollencamp of Dayton said the church has gone through many pendulum swings, noting that today’s more modernized nuns are following the directives of Pope John XXIII and Vatican II.
“I’m sad that the male-dominated church has decided to discipline these women who are raising good issues,” she said. “Pope John Paul II was popular because he did reach out and he did try to make the church more viable; while Pope Benedict is like the most traditional Dad you could ever have — don’t give me any talk back. But these struggles don’t lessen my belief in the basic tenets of the church. It is like being American, too. Are you going to stop being American because the government does something you don’t like?”
Leming said that she hopes the church will grow stronger from the debate: “I hope that we sisters are being asked to articulate better why we do what we do. I hope that there’s dialogue.”
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