American Nuns: Do They Have A Future?

[cbayer]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/09/american-nuns-future_n_1762278.html?utm_hp_ref=religion

Religion News Service | By David Gibson
Posted: 08/09/2012 7:45 pm Updated: 08/09/2012 7:45 pm




ST. LOUIS (RNS) Catholic sisters gathered here for their annual assembly on Thursday (Aug. 9) intensified discussions aimed at thwarting a Vatican takeover of their group, but hanging over the meeting was an even larger existential question: Do the nuns have a future?

The viability issue is central to the dispute between Rome and the nuns that has riveted Catholics and dominated this year's meeting of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. The steering group represents most of the 56,000 nuns in religious orders in the United States.

The Vatican announced in April that a team of bishops would take control of the LCWR in order to make the nuns hew more closely and publicly to orthodox teachings on sexuality and theology. The sisters are expected to deliver their first formal reply to the takeover on Friday.

A key justification for Rome's action was the argument that vocations to more progressive women's religious communities are in free fall: In 1965 there were 180,000 sisters in religious life, more than three times today's number. The decline is especially acute in orders that belong to the LCWR.

more at link

[southernyankeebelle]

1. I don't know what the poor communities would do without these beautiful nuns who are the

backbone of the catholic church. Maybe they need to form their own churches and get support from the communities. I am sure they have the support of the local communities.

[cbayer]

2. It's going to be really interesting to see how this plays out.

My guess is that there is going to be a lot of talk about forming a new organization that has some independence, but I have no idea what that might look like.

[southernyankeebelle]

5. I hope they can do it without the church interferring.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

3. I suspect that the reason the number of nuns is declining

Is that women today have more options.

It used to be that if you were a working class Catholic girl who wanted an education past high school, just about the only way you could get one was to become a sister. Now, you can get an education without putting up with all the crap associated with being a nun.

[cbayer]

4. Interesting that the group that appears to be holding it's own

is the convented, habited group.

I think it still serves as a refuge for many woman, but the socially activist nuns are really getting some heat.

[rexcat]

6. It may be because...

1 in 4 girls are sexually abused in the US. Some in the convented, habited group might be seeking safety, unless they were sexually abused by a priest which has and probably still does happen to both boys and girls. For the record 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused in our society. Seems we have a long way to go to correct this situation. The statistics are from a course I took so that I can chaperon at the high school my kids go to.

[cbayer]

7. Truly alarming stats.

It is good that there are places of refuge for some of these girls. Unfortunately, the same is harder to find for abused boys.

[rexcat]

8. These stats are just the tip of the iceberg...

One parent stated that his daughter, now a senior, was raped sometime in the past. The room went silent. You never think that this can happen in your own community, and in every community in this country, but it does and in alarming numbers.

[cbayer]

9. At least it's more open now.

When I was growing up, girls (and boys) very rarely said something. For my daughters, it was a little more likely. And now, I think it's still kept under wraps more often than not, but hopefully we are creating environments where kids feel they can say something.

That kind of sunshine can only help, imo.