Group LED by W. Pa. Nun Criticized by Vatican
By Rossilynne Skena
A Roman Catholic nun from Western Pennsylvania was tapped to lead the group representing the majority of the nuns in the nation, just days before the Vatican slapped the organization with sanctions for promoting "certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith." Sister Janet Mock, a Johnstown native affiliated with the Sisters of St. Joseph in Baden, was appointed executive director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious this month, according to the Silver Spring, Md., group's director of communications, Sister Annmarie Sanders. The Leadership Conference represents 80 percent of the 57,000 Catholic nuns in the nation. The Vatican, which oversees the Leadership Conference, announced Wednesday a full-scale overhaul of the group, accusing it of taking positions that undermine Roman Catholic teachings on the priesthood and homosexuality while promoting radical feminist themes. An American archbishop was appointed to oversee reform of the organization, which will include rewriting the group's statutes, reviewing its plans and programs -- including approving speakers -- and ensuring it follows Catholic doctrine. The Leadership Conference has been "silent on the right to life from conception to natural death, a question that is part of the lively public debate about abortion and euthanasia in the United States," according to a report released on Wednesday from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Leadership Conference was formed in 1956. It is led by a full-time executive director appointed by the board of directors and a three-person presidency elected by members. The group of four will work as a team to respond to the assessment and coordinate any next steps, Sanders said. They are now in Rome for an annual meeting with the Vatican, Sanders said, meaning they are not available for comment via phone. Mock did not return an email seeking comment. The Leadership Conference released the following statement: "The presidency of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious was stunned by the conclusions of the doctrinal assessment of LCWR by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Because the leadership of LCWR has the custom of meeting annually with the staff of CDF in Rome and because the conference follows canonically-approved statutes, we were taken by surprise." The report from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the sisters' organization faced a "grave" doctrinal crisis, in which issues of "crucial importance" to the church, such as abortion and euthanasia, have been ignored. Vatican officials castigated the group for making some public statements that "disagree with or challenge positions taken by the bishops, who are the church's authentic teachers of faith and morals." Church officials did not cite specific examples. The report paints a scathing portrait of the Leadership Conference as consistently violating Catholic teaching. Investigators cited a speech by one nun at an annual assembly that argued that religious sisters were " 'moving beyond the church' or even beyond Jesus." The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the Leadership Conference had submitted letters that suggest that sisters in leadership teams "collectively take a position not in agreement with the church's teaching on human sexuality." In programs and presentations, investigators noted "a prevalence of certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith." The reform will be managed by Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartain and could stretch over five years. Mock spent time as a Sister of St. Joseph, in one of her roles overseeing programs for women preparing to become sisters, Sanders said. Mock also worked in community outreach at a satellite campus of Carlow University, directing the Ecumenical Institute on Racism established to try to eliminate racism. She facilitated meetings and programs for the collaborative effort between the university and the Christian Associates of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Also in the region, Mock worked as an elementary teacher between 1958 and 1973, some of that time in Beaver County. []
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