Sister Simone Campbell Fires Back at Vatican Criticism

By Alana Horowitz
Huffington Post
April 21, 2012

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/21/sister-simone-campbell-vatican-us-nuns_n_1442301.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false


The head of a Catholic lobbying group is fighting back against criticism from the Vatican.

"I've no idea what they're talking about," said Sister Simone Campbell told the BBC. "Our role is to live the gospel with those who live on the margins of our society: the hungry, the poor, the ill. That's all we do."

Campbell was responding to charges that her group, NETWORK, is engaging "corporate dissent." The Vatican ordered an investigation of U.S. nun group Leadership Conference of Women Religious and its ties to NETWORK, who supported President Obama's health care reform push. The Vatican accused the Leadership Conference of promoting "certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith."

Campbell told the AP that she believes the link between the crackdown and the health care reform support is clear.

The Vatican "clearly got upset that we were effective at communicating our views politically," she said.

She also told the BBC that "there's a strong connection. We didn't split on faith, we split on politics."'

To watch more of her comments, head over the BBC.