Women religious hope for dialogue on Vatican critique
Wisdom’s hope for the people of God is clear in the Book of Proverbs this Sunday: “Advance in the way of understanding.” Expressing a similar hope, albeit with some wariness, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious . . .
Wisdom’s hope for the people of God is clear in this Sunday’s reading from the Book of Proverbs: “Advance in the way of understanding.” Expressing a similar hope, albeit with some wariness, members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), a group criticized in a spring Vatican report that ordered an overhaul of the organization, said Friday they would talk with church leaders about potential changes as long as the process did not force them to compromise on their mission.
Sister Pat Farrell, outgoing president of the LCWR, said that members believe that "open and honest dialogue may lead not only to increasing understanding between the church leadership and women religious, but also to creating more possibilities for the laity and, particularly for women, to have a voice in the church."
She said that the more than 900 LCWR members who met in St. Louis this past week told their leaders to conduct a conversation with Archbishop Peter Sartain of Seattle, charged by the Vatican with overseeing the organization’s restructuring, but that the leaders "will reconsider if LCWR is forced to compromise the integrity of its mission."
Taking the stage to a standing ovation, Farrell said that "some larger movement in the church . . . has landed on LCWR." A key question facing LCWR, she said, is: "What would a prophetic response to the doctrinal assessment look like?"
"I think it would be humble, but not submissive," she said, "rooted in a solid sense of ourselves, but not self-righteous; truthful, but gentle and absolutely fearless. It would ask probing questions. Are we being invited to some appropriate pruning and are we open to it? Is this doctrinal process an expression of concern or an attempt to control?”
Farrell acknowledged the nuns' plan going forward was vague, but noted the process would stretch over five years and had only just started. "Dialogue on doctrine is not going to be our starting point," Farrell said. "Our starting point will be about our own life and about our understanding of religious life, and the [Vatican] document's, in our view, misrepresentation of that, and we'll see how it unfolds from there."
Sister Pat Farrell, outgoing president of the LCWR, said that members believe that "open and honest dialogue may lead not only to increasing understanding between the church leadership and women religious, but also to creating more possibilities for the laity and, particularly for women, to have a voice in the church."
She said that the more than 900 LCWR members who met in St. Louis this past week told their leaders to conduct a conversation with Archbishop Peter Sartain of Seattle, charged by the Vatican with overseeing the organization’s restructuring, but that the leaders "will reconsider if LCWR is forced to compromise the integrity of its mission."
Taking the stage to a standing ovation, Farrell said that "some larger movement in the church . . . has landed on LCWR." A key question facing LCWR, she said, is: "What would a prophetic response to the doctrinal assessment look like?"
"I think it would be humble, but not submissive," she said, "rooted in a solid sense of ourselves, but not self-righteous; truthful, but gentle and absolutely fearless. It would ask probing questions. Are we being invited to some appropriate pruning and are we open to it? Is this doctrinal process an expression of concern or an attempt to control?”
Farrell acknowledged the nuns' plan going forward was vague, but noted the process would stretch over five years and had only just started. "Dialogue on doctrine is not going to be our starting point," Farrell said. "Our starting point will be about our own life and about our understanding of religious life, and the [Vatican] document's, in our view, misrepresentation of that, and we'll see how it unfolds from there."
Sources: Articles by Mary Wisniewski for Reuters, Agence France Presse, Jim Salter and Rachel Zoll
for the Associated Press, and Joshua J. McElwee for National Catholic Reporter