Vatican official rues tone of apostolic visitation of religious: ‘they keep people afraid’

August 11, 2011

Archbishop Joseph Tobin, the secretary of the Congregation for Religious is offering strong criticism of the atmosphere surrounding the Vatican’s apostolic visitation of institutes of women religious in the United States.

The comments by Archbishop Tobin reinforce the perception that the Vatican investigation, which was once seen as a serious challenge to the policies and directions of some American religious orders, is now unlikely to call for major changes.

Cardinal Franc Rodé, then prefect of the congregation, announced in 2009 that the apostolic visitation would “assess and constructively address” concerns about the welfare of active women’s religious communities in the United States. Archbishop Tobin was named secretary of the congregation in August 2010, and Archbishop João Bráz de Aviz was appointed prefect in January 2011 upon Cardinal Rodé’s retirement.

Since his appointment, Archbishop Tobin has clearly signaled his sympathies for American women's religious leaders. He underlined that stand in his latest comments to the Catholic News Service.

“I believe a visitation has to have a dialogical aspect, but the way this was structured at the beginning didn't really favor that,” the archbishop said. “Part of the real harm done at the beginning,” he said, was Cardinal Rodé’s decision that individual communities would not have the opportunity to read the reports that visitors were to submit to the Vatican.

The archbishop suggested that American women religious who help govern their communities in Rome should assist the Congregation in evaluating the visitation reports on individual communities. That suggestion could lead to a new conflict, however. Individual women religious were permitted to speak with apostolic visitors in confidence, on the assumption that any critical comments would not be read by their superiors or other community members. If that confidentiality is now put aside, nuns who were critical of their overall direction of their communities may find themselves in an uncomfortable position.

Archbishop Tobin indicated that he was sympathetic toward the leaders of women's religious communities who felt that they were being accused of a lack of orthodoxy or obedience to the Church. He said that the Vatican is now working to restore their confidence.

“The trust that should characterize the daughters and sons of God and disciples of Jesus isn’t recovered overnight,” Archbishop Tobin added. “I think women religious have a right to say, ‘Well, let’s see.’”

Archbishop Tobin directed his most pointed criticism towards “canonical advisors” who “exploited” rumors that some communities might be dissolved or be given new leadership.

“It’s like Fox News: they keep people coming back because they keep them afraid,” he said. “But certainly, on our side of the river or our side of the pond, we had created an atmosphere where that was possible.”

 

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Further information:

• Vatican aims to regain trust of U.S. religious women, official says (CNS)
• Apostolic Visitation of Institutes of Women Religious in the United States