UNITES STATES
National Catholic Reporter
Robert McClory | Jun. 24, 2014 NCR Today
The strong public scolding Cardinal Gerhard Müller delivered in April to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious really disturbed many Catholics. It was so obviously out of sync with Pope Francis’ call for dialogue, discernment and especially respect when discussing matters of faith.
Yet, Müller’s blunt, confrontational accusations stirred little immediate reaction. It was as if people were stunned into silence by the contrast between the pope’s approach and that of the head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).
Some wondered if the pope and Müller might be playing a good-cop-bad-cop routine for reasons that were not clear. The LCWR leadership refused to respond to Müller’s specifics and said they somehow had a fruitful dialogue with the cardinal and affirmed their determination to stay at the table despite the cardinal’s opening rant. And several coalitions of reform groups urged the pope to apologize for an outburst so contrary to his own approach.
For more than a month then, there was mostly silence and a turn to other topics. I was not aware of any bishops or priests speaking out until a brisk retort to Müller was issued by the little known Association of U.S. Catholic Priests (AUSCP) at their meeting in Seattle on June 2. The association, formed three years ago, had been docile and relatively invisible until now. In a letter addressed to Francis, however, they expressed “sadness and dismay” at Müller’s “abuse of the process” with the sisters. Here are a few samples from their candid statement.
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