Rome Reiterates Concerns: LCWR Leaders Express Concern Over Call to Reform

By Deacon Keith Fournier
6/14/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

the current doctrinal and pastoral situation of LCWR is grave and a matter of serious concern

The Holy See has acted pastorally, out of Christian love, and in keeping with its proper role to guard the deposit of faith. The National Catholic Reporter's biased and inaccurate reporting concerning this entire matter has contributed to the secular media's feeding frenzy and thereby contributed to placing the leaders of the Catholic Church in a bad light. That is not responsible Catholic journalism.

Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

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VATICAN CITY (Catholic Online) - The much anticipated meeting between two representative leaders of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), LCWR president Sister Pat Farrell, OSF and executive director Sister Janet Mock, CSJ, and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) occurred on Tuesday, June 12, 2012.

The purpose of the meeting was to allow the leaders of this American group an opportunity to discuss the Vatican's call for their reform and express their concerns. The call from Rome for the much needed reform was set forth with clarity in a Doctrinal Assessment issued by the Congregation after a multi-year visitation and review. An eight page summary was released by the CDF and can be read here. The leadership of the organization did not agree with the outcome - and has been quite vocal about it.

The decision by the Congregation to review the group was communicated to them back in 2008. Very serious doctrinal concerns were raised. Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo led a thorough, fair and in depth review. The results were presented in a Final Report of the Apostolic Visitation of women Religious in the United States submitted to the Holy See. It was fully accepted by Pope Benedict XVI.

One line included in the statement expresses the heart of the specific findings, "the current doctrinal and pastoral situation of LCWR is grave and a matter of serious concern." Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartain was chosen by the Congregation to oversee the implementation of the much needed reform of this organization of women religious. He was present in Rome at the meeting on Tuesday Jun 12, 2012, along with the Prefect of the Congregation, Cardinal William Levada.

Unfortunately, some even in the Catholic Media, such as the National Catholic Reporter, have presented this very serious matter as some sort of battle between a "dated" Rome and some purportedly "liberated" sisters. That newspaper fostered dissent, fomented a party spirit and pushed its own dissenting agenda with irresponsibility.

The National Catholic Reporter's biased and inaccurate reporting concerning this entire matter has contributed to the secular media's feeding frenzy and thereby contributed to placing the leaders of the Catholic Church in a bad light. That is not responsible Catholic journalism.

The truth concerning the entire matter was well expressed by the good Bishop Blair of Toledo in an article he wrote for his Diocesan newspaper entitled "Reality Check, the LCWR, CDF and the Doctrinal Assessment. It should be read by anyone seeking to know what really happened and what is at stake here.

Among the issues the CDF raised after the visitation and review are serious moral issues as the inherent dignity of every human life, including children in the womb, the proper teaching concerning human sexuality and the primacy of true marriage and the family founded upon it. Major concerns were raised over the groups approach to "the fundamental Christological center and focus of religious consecration." This is all very, very serious business!

Without this much needed correction and reform, the issues raised by the Congregation will continue to confuse the faithful, harm the members of the LCWR and impede the much needed witness to the truth offered by the Catholic Church in this age of moral relativism. The Holy See has acted pastorally, out of Christian love, and in keeping with its proper role to guard the deposit of faith.

The official Vatican statement on the meeting was short and blunt: "Today the Superiors of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith met with the President and Executive Director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in the United States of America. Most Rev. Peter J. Sartain, Archbishop of Seattle and the Holy See's Delegate for the doctrinal Assessment of the LCWR, also participated in the meeting."

"The meeting provided the opportunity for the Congregation and the LCWR officers to discuss the issues and concerns raised by the doctrinal Assessment in an atmosphere of openness and cordiality.

"According to Canon Law, a Conference of Major Superiors such as the LCWR is constituted by and remains under the supreme direction of the Holy See in order to promote common efforts among the individual member Institutes and cooperation with the Holy See and the local Conference of Bishops (Cf. Code of Canon Law, cann. 708-709)."

"The purpose of the doctrinal Assessment is to assist the LCWR in this important mission by promoting a vision of ecclesial communion founded on faith in ...

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1 - 10 of 20 Comments

K.C Thomas
10 months ago
It is not clear how the report refers to The catholic Reporter" as a Catholic Media. Definitely it is not . I have read many of their reports and I find everywhere an anti Church, an anti Pope and an anti-clerical leaning openly. Such so called Catholic media is no different from Biden, Palosi and company. Please please do not confuse us believers by referring it as a catholic media.
abey
10 months ago
The devil fooled the very first woman & today he exploits them & uses them to his exploitation using strange names like "liberty & progressive" but in truth n old pagan tale prophesied into the day as "The wickedness" in the Ephah pushing away the seal of her lid in spreading her corruption.
Rob
10 months ago
Wes, I really don't get the sense of the house cleaning you speak of. As it pertains to the sex abuse scandal, I've not seen a whole lot of movement in the hierarchy. Folks only seemed to be "removed" once something becomes public. So either we have failed to become aware of the issues or we are still protecting people who were involved. I am not suggesting that the LCWR does not need reform, heck, we all do, but I have always been fond of a saying I learned in the army, "lead by example." And I'm just not seeing that in our leadership at all. I think these failures by our leadership have made our jobs to evangelize so much harder as our credibility has been greatly damaged. It's created a scandal of epic proportions for the faithful, both ordained and the laity.
Wes Lisitza
10 months ago
Rob: You have to consider the fact that the sisters have been informed since 2008 that they needed to reform and re-evaluate these conferences for the women religious. The only reason it's catching heat is due to NCR's (National Catholic Reporter's) interest in undermining our Church's hierarchy. What people seem to forget is that the Catholic Church is cleaning house, in response to the sex scandals, whether it be criminal investigations to preventative measures. The Church concerned itself with more stringent measures to determine who is accepted to be ordained clergy, and then it started to look at violations of canon law and scriptural adherence. Just because we hear about the nuns doesn't mean the men religious (the brothers and monastic orders) aren't going reforms themselves.
While I have faith and trust in our clergy to do the right thing in this matter, I admit that lately, I'm becoming tired of the hierarchy's reluctance to formally/publicly denounce or excommunicate the more divisive members in our midst. These people who maintain an ideology comparable to progressive secularism devalue the weight and commitment of faithful and inspiring clergy; it's like they only appreciate people like Mother Theresa because she could help the poor, not because she was a faith-filled Catholic. "Catholic" is not an identity to them, just an label of abstract association that's easily ignored or overlooked in the face of gender, color, sexuality, or something more superficial. I'm Catholic, and that's my heritage, my identity, my culture, my faith. If there were no more poor to feed and tend to in the world, I wouldn't stop being Catholic; and yet, by the words and interviews of such dissidents among our flock, I feel that sentiment can't be reiterated by many.
Robert Burford
11 months ago
I don't like change. Nontheless, change always happens. However, the Holy Mother Church changes thoughtfully and prayerfully. Scripture has a perfect model when Peter had a dream that showed all foods coming down from heaven as being good to eat. There was huge discord in the early church about Gentiles and to become more Chistian they had to first become Jewish. The result were two decisions. One to refrain from the blood of strangled animals, not to eat the flesh of animals sacrificed to idols and refrain from illecit marriages. The other revolved around circumcision. Both problems were resolved by Church magisterium and the Holy Spirit and not in the press or the pews. I do not assume someone is bad just because they disagree with me, but I do love discussion. However the pagan media is not the place for discussion because they do not have all the facts. They only see part of the discussion and this leads to confussion and false impressions.
Judy Claar
11 months ago
What (minded) Catholics, are writing irresponsible journalism to feed to the hungry secular outlets? Catholic journalists are employed to tell the Truth...not to put a spin on it. I would further ask: Who is their editor who lets the spin go by? Moving On: Informing article. The last short paragraph sums it up nicely! "Sacred Heart Of Jesus, We Place Our Trust In Thee."
Colleen
11 months ago
I looked into many religious communities to find one I could join. I was told by these sisters that the bible is not inspired by God, Adam and Eve never existed, abortion is okay for women who feel they cannot have a child, and so on. I have also known priests who think they can change the mass to suit their whim and outright lie to us saying that they have "permission" to do so, publicly criticize the Pope and any Bishop who dares to follow church teaching, and encourage women to work towards women's ordination. I hope the Vatican can bring the LCWR back into union with church teachings, and then start working on orders of priests. No wonder lay Catholics are confused!
Rob
11 months ago
I understand the issues and I think it's right to ensure that those charged with teaching the faith do so in accordance with the Church's teachings. But what strikes me odd is why was this only limited to women religious? Ok, so you have some orders that have lost their way, but last time I checked a group of sisters were not costing the church millions of dollars in sex abuse law suits? Seems to me we are examining the wrong group. And despite all of the Church's efforts to clean up this mess, seems like every couple of years we are blessed with a new scandal. Perhaps this is God's way of cleaning his church since we refuse to do it. But please, continue going after those crazy nuns. We woudln't want them to bring the whole church down would we?
Margaret
11 months ago
The old adage "Divide and conquer" continues to apply. These sisters need to retreat and meditate on where their future lies with Holy Mother the Church.They appear to have lost their way and praying before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament will guide them back to the true faith.
I will continue to pray for all involved.
My brother was a priest for 43 years and the turbulent 70's and 80's wreaked havoc with so many vocations.I pray he is resting in the arms of Our Dear Lord and Savior.
JeanCatherine
11 months ago
Are you serious? This man is not defensive he is stating his case I say humbly in a most informative manner. The church has known about the "progressive liberals" in the church for sometime. I like what he said. Many people for sometime have been critical of our Bishops not speaking out and when they do everyone is upset. You cant have it both ways. You go Bishops. You go with it. If we have been stagnate towards our Lord then its time to correct it and clean it out of the church with charity of course.

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