Winners and Losers in the "Visitation" of American Nuns?

[cbayer]

http://religiondispatches.org/winners-and-losers-in-the-visitation-of-american-nuns/

BY PATRICIA MILLER DECEMBER 19, 2014

Pope Francis: Winner

When not busy sending dogs to heaven (oops, not really) or brokering the restoration of US-Cuban diplomatic relations, the pope made a key personnel change that resulted in the deft handling of what could have been a PR disaster for the Vatican.

Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, the Francis appointee who succeeded Cardinal Franc Rodé as head of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life, walked back Rodé’s ominous “visitation” of what he called “a certain secular mentality that has spread in these religious families and, perhaps, also a certain feminist spirit” into a virtual love-fest between the Vatican and U.S. nuns. Sister Sharon Holland, who represented the much-maligned Leadership Conference of Women Religious at the press conference announcing the report, said the nuns “felt appreciated and trusted to carry on.”

American Nuns/LCWR: Mostly Winners

For American nuns, the relatively positive conclusion of the visitation signaled a lifting of some of the storm clouds that had gathered over U.S. religious orders since both the visitation and the investigation of the LCWR were announced in 2009. The final report, while praising American religious for their work, does, however, contain some cautions reflecting the Vatican’s concerns about nuns’ embrace of less traditional understandings of Christianity. It asks them to “carefully review their spiritual practices and ministry to assure that these are in harmony with Catholic teaching about God, creation, the Incarnation and the Redemption.”

And in a nod to the more traditional sisters of the conservative Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, who assert that their communities of habited nuns are the future of women religious, the report noted that potential nuns “often desire the experience of living in formative communities and many wish to be externally recognizable as consecrated women.”

more at link

[trotsky]

1. LMFAO

If the end result of all this was "maintain the status quo" (which it is!), then how are the conservatives "losers"? Too funny.

[pinto]

2. Love the first line of the piece. Glad to see LCRW got a sliver of accomodation from the hiearchy.

Braz de Aviz's appointment was a good move.

And, I support that dog thing...

[cbayer]

3. I like this writer.

I think she has a good take on what is going on with the catholic church generally.

The dog thing is hopefully a joke that will last for years.

[hrmjustin]

4. God be praise for nuns!

[cbayer]

5. Yep, LCRW is not a group I would mess with.

Glad to see them get something from this.