VATICAN CITY
Vatican Insider
A Holy See representative is to meet with members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)
ALESSANDRO SPECIALE
ROME
The new climate of dialogue and trust which has settled in the Vatican since Francis arrival seems to have spread to the U.S., to the point of healing the split between the LCWR’s nuns and U.S. bishops, which had been worsening in recent years.
The Vatican appointed a commissioner to oversee the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in April 2012, when Benedict XVI was still Pope, after the nuns were accused “radical feminism” and of failing to obey church teaching on matters such as the possible ordination of women priests and contraception. Rome’s decision was met with indignation by a majority of faithful but was also supported by the more conservative sectors of U.S. Catholicism which have always accused the nuns of not contributing enough to the cultural battles against abortion and same-sex marriage. These issues have been top priorities for U.S. bishops in terms of public commitments.
During their annual assembly held in Orlando, Florida between 13 and 16 August, the LCWR extended an olive branch to the Archbishop of Seattle, J. Peter Sartain – the Vatican-appointed commissioner who was given the task of overseeing the group’s reform -, inviting him to speak at their meeting. The prelate promptly accepted the invitation and attended three closed-door meetings, the content of which was closely examined during the group’s plenary assembly. He also participated in a three-day meeting with the heads of the LCWR.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.