Brethren, Peace and Good to you.
Yesterday, the board of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), an umbrella organization for many Catholic women religious, issued a press release deprecating the Holy See's doctrinal assessment of their organization, which found that:
• A prevalence of certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith in some of the programs and presentations sponsored by the LCWR, including theological interpretations that risk distorting faith in Jesus and his loving Father who sent his Son for the salvation of the world. Moreover, some commentaries on "patriarchy" distort the way in which Jesus has structured sacramental life in the Church; others even undermine the revealed doctrines of the Holy Trinity, the divinity of Christ, and the inspiration of Sacred Scripture.
• Statements and actions by LCWR Officers, protesting the Holy See’s actions regarding the question of women’s ordination and of a correct pastoral approach to ministry to homosexual persons, e.g. letters about New Ways Ministry’s conferences. The terms of the letters suggest that these sisters collectively take a position not in agreement with the Church’s teaching on human sexuality.
• Addresses given during LCWR annual Assemblies manifest problematic statements and serious theological, even doctrinal errors.
The LCWR board called these findings "unsubstantiated" and "the result of a flawed process that lacked transparency". They concluded:
The board recognizes this matter has deeply touched Catholics and non-Catholics throughout the world as evidenced by the thousands of messages of support as well as the dozens of prayer vigils held in numerous parts of the country. It believes that the matters of faith and justice that capture the hearts of Catholic sisters are clearly shared by many people around the world. As the church and society face tumultuous times, the board believes it is imperative that these matters be addressed by the entire church community in an atmosphere of openness, honesty, and integrity.Commentary. The LCWR continues their obfuscation strategy by drawing attention to their many successes in the field of social justice - successes recognized by the Holy See in its assessment - while ignoring the deep flaws in their organization, training programs, and the repression of women religious who belong to member congregations but who do not share the LCWR's aims. These and more have been documented by Ms. Ann Carey in her investigative book, Sisters in Crisis: The Tragic Unraveling of Women's Religious Communities. (Read also her address to the Symposium on “Apostolic Religious Life since Vatican II....Reclaiming the Treasure: Bishops, Theologians, and Religious in Conversation”, titled The View from the Pew.)
Brethren, the LCWR has a well-documented track record of dissent and defiance against the Pope and the bishops. As a committed Catholic layman, I am astonished at the LCWR and their belief that they can sweep their blunders under a rug. It is sad that the LCWR does not own-up to their failed responsibility of ministring withing the heart and mind of the Church.
I support the Holy See's assessment and pray for future in which the LCWR carries on their mission within the spirit and the letter of our divine Catholic faith.