The National Catholic Reporter posted a story last night saying that the Vatican has launched a “doctrinal assessment” of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which is the main association for major superiors of sisters’ orders in the United States.
This is separate from the Vatican-initiated apostolic visitation of institutes for women religious in the United States, announced in January, to find out why the numbers of their members have decreased during the past 40 years and to look at the quality of life in the communities.
You can read the Reporter’s story here.
CNS Blog 
the LCWR “the conference has remained faithful to its mission of service to leaders of congregations of women religious as they seek to further the mission of Christ in today’s world.” Umm how about remaining faithful to the Magisterium of the CHURCH??!! Just a thought.
Ut unum sint? or: Between Petra & A Hard Place
There are two indelible, unrepeatable sacraments of my faith:
1) I am a baptised, practicing, believing Catholic
2) I am a gay man who affirms my sexuality as a gift from God and not someone who has a “strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil.” (see Ratzinger Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons). It seems that it is not good enough that we remain lonely, celibate, and deprived of sexual intimacy – We are told that our very “intentions” are evil. And all of this couched in an epistle of Pastoral Care? My God, even the American Psychiatric Association removed us from the DSMIV in 1973. Methinks the irrelevant Crusty old Curia doth look for scapegoats on the heels of their horrible mis-handling of the sexual abuse scandal. Hey, Ratzinger: Where was the Pastoral Care for the abused minors?
Let me be clear: I will continue to practice my faith and cherish my God-given sexuality no matter what witch-hunting celibate homophobic prelate tells me. Can Rome be anymore clueless and heartless? Amidst all the minutiae and antiquated Tri-dentine theology, could you take some time and grab an old fashioned Webster’s Dictionary and look up “Pastoral” and “Care”? Or better yet, grab a Bible and look up Mark 7:6-8: “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”
Thank You Jesus, I couldn’t have said it better.
As contemporary religious women come to terms with these two separate Vatican investigations, individually and as communities we are progressing through the cycles described by Kübler-Ross. In time we will all come to know these investigations with hope in the future to be found there. In the mean time please support us with your prayers and understanding.
While some are concerned about our faithfulness to the Magisterium, others struggle to find their own lives in this very church. Commissioned by the Vatican Council to express God’s call to religious life in contemporary culture we join with other many marginalized believers everywhere.
Our deepest desire is to find support for our faith journey in the broad arms of a very catholic, Catholic church. Jesus’ deepest desire was that all would be one in faith and love. As individuals let us all speak of each other and to each other with the greatest respect and encourage each others faith as we journey into this new millennium.