It seems the Vatican's recent attempt to intimidate and silence American Catholic nuns (accusing them of "radical feminism" for not being in lockstep with a few Rethuglican bishops) isn't working so well. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, representing over 80 percent of the 57,000 American nuns, has issued a statement saying the Vatican crackdown attempt "...caused scandal and pain throughout the church community and caused greater polarization."
As E.J. Dionne notes:
"Progressive Catholics are alarmed by a lot of things these days, but I don’t think anything galvanized them like the move against the sisters. I hope the bishops are aware of how much discontent they are creating across a broad front among faithful Mass-attending Catholics who see the institution’s leadership lurching sharply to the right. Ever since I wrote a column in which I explained why I am not quitting the Church, I have heard from a lot of Catholics who are thinking of doing just that, or already have. Surely the bishops don’t want to shrink a great institution into a modest-sized sect. I’d like to hope that the Holy Spirit is operating through the nuns."
We'd like to hope Dionne is right, and the courage of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious gives us reason to be somewhat optimistic. But the history of the church since the death of Pope John XXIII has been one of an inexorable march to the right and, in the U.S., a disturbing trend of some high-profile, morally-compromised bishops working hand-in-glove with Rethuglicans and their talibangelist base.
BONUS: Let's hope E.J. doesn't read this.
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