LCWR denounces Vatican intervention, says critique 'unsubstantiated'

June 01, 2012

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) has a Vatican call for reform of their group, saying that it has “caused scandal and pain throughout the church community, and caused greater polarization.”

After a 3-day meeting in Washington, the national board of the LCWR issued a stinging reply to a Vatican investigation of the group’s activities. The board said that the report was “based on unsubstantiated accusations and the result of a flawed process that lacked transparency.”

The LCWR, an umbrella group that represents most of the women’s religious orders in the US, was the subject of a Vatican investigation that found “serious doctrinal problems which affect many in consecrated life.” The investigation, which reported widespread departures from fundamental Catholic teachings, prompted an April announcement from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) that a thorough reform of the group was needed, and Seattle’s Archbishop Peter Sartain had been appointed to supervise that process.

In their June 1 response, the LCWR board members protested the Vatican intervention, saying that “the sanctions imposed were disproportionate to the concerns raised and could compromise their ability to fulfill their mission.” The LCWR leaders said that they will travel to Rome later this month to meet with Cardinal William Levada, the prefect of the CDF, and with Archbishop Sartain. They said they would then confer with their members about an appropriate response.

Sister Pat Farrell, the LCWR president, told reporters that the group’s board had met in a mood of “deep, deep sadness” because of the Vatican’s stand. She said that the LCWR would not issue a full response to the Vatican’s investigation until after meeting with members during the summer and convening a national convention in August.

Among the options that the LCWR could consider is a proposal that the group might abandon its current canonical status and become an entirely independent group. That independence would enable the LCWR to escape Vatican oversight. The June 1 statement from the national board did not address that possibility.

In a related development, America magazine posted two companion essays on the Vatican’s concerns about LCWR. Archbishop Peter Sartain, who was appointed by the Holy See to oversee the reform, offered a cautiously worded analysis, praising the historical contributions of women religious in the US and saying that the process of reform could be an opportunity to deepen tiees within the Church. Christine Firer Hinze, a Fordham professor who was asked by America to provide a separate perspective, said that the LCWR was driven by a post-Vatican-II vision of the Church, emphasizing social action. She argued that the Vatican should learn from the LCWR leaders, and come to understand their “prophetic” approach to religious life.

 

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Further information:

• LCWR accuses Vatican investigation of using 'flawed process' (CNA)
• LCWR Board Meets to Review CDF Report (LCWR statement)
• U.S. sisters: Vatican order has caused ‘scandal and pain’ (National Catholic Reporter)
• Nuns push back on Vatican report, calling it unsubstantiated and scandal-causing (Washington Post)
• Nuns Speak About Vatican Criticism (New York Times)
• Nuns: Vatican reprimand causing pain in church (AP)
• Deepening Communion (America)
• At Cross Currents? (America)
• Vatican demands reform of American nuns' leadership group (CWN, 4/18)
• Doctrinal Assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (CDF summary of investigation)