Italy:Vatican Orders Crackdown on 'Radical Feminist' US Nuns

- Common Dreams staff

An American archbishop has been appointed to oversee reform of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the United State's largest organization of Catholic nuns, after the Vatican accused the group of promoting "certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith."
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the U.S. says it will consult with members to decide what to do after a Vatican investigation resulted in harsh criticism and a call for reform. (Heather Charles, Chicago Tribune / April 20, 2012) Based in Maryland, the Leadership Conference represents about 57,000 nuns and offers a wide range of services, from leadership training for women's religious orders to advocacy on social justice issues. Most troubling to the Vatican, it seems, were positions taken by the group concerning homosexuality and its support for the health care overhaul signed by President Obama. The Vatican also castigated the group for ignoring what the Church thinks are more "crucial" issues, like abortion and euthanasia.
Sister Beth Rindler of Detroit, who is part of the National Coalition of American Nuns as well as a member of the LCWR, told The Daily Beast she is shocked by the report. She believes it is a gender issue between the Vatican men and the American nuns. “The church in Rome believes in the patrimony of God. But we believe that God created men and women equally,” she said. “That’s where we clash.”
The New York Times, in an editorial today, said the nuns "clearly are caught in a classic crossfire of church doctrine, politics and hierarchical obedience."