Leadership Conference of Women Religious: The Heterodox Sisters Won - but with an expiration date in sight

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "Son of man, what shall be made of the wood of the vine, out of all the trees of the woods that are among the trees of the forests? Shall wood be taken of it, to do any work, or shall a pin be made of it for any vessel to hang thereon?" Behold it is cast into the fire for fuel: the fire hath consumed both ends thereof, and the midst thereof is reduced to ashes: shall it be useful for any work? Even when it was whole it was not fit for work: how much less, when the fire hath devoured and consumed it, shall any work be made of it?

Therefore thus saith the Lord God: "As the vine tree among the trees of the forests which I have given to the fire to be consumed, so will I deliver up the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will set my face against them: they shall go out from fire, and fire shall consume them: and you shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have set my face against them. And I shall have made their land a wilderness, and desolate, because they have been transgressors," saith the Lord God.

Ezekiel, chapter 15

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The investigation of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), the confederation of mostly disappearing female religious orders in the United States, by the Holy See ended today in a huge pile of nothingness or weak measures. As the mainstream media has rightly ascertained, it was the "end" of the "Vatican takeover", with a sign of "appreciation" for the heterodox sisters:

Aviz and LCWR: Reporting on rift over sisters "precise"

From NCR:

VATICAN CITY --A cardinal has dismissed claims from the Vatican that remarks he made to NCRabout a controversial 2012 criticism of U.S. Catholic sisters were misinterpreted, saying he backs NCR's report as "very precise."

Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, head of the Vatican's Congregation for Religious, said Sunday he had no knowledge of the April 2012 criticism of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) that the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith made.

CDF corrects Cardinal on LCWR, diplomatically

Well, someone has been asked to hold his tongue (previous post on the matter)

Joint Communiqué of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life [Source]

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life have for some time been collaborating on a renewed theological vision of Religious Life in the Church. The concern of the Holy See, expressed partially in the Doctrinal Assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the United States, is motivated by a desire to support the noble and beautiful vocation of Religious so that the eloquent witness of Religious Life may prosper in the Church to the benefit of future generations.

The initiatives of the Holy See in this area are concerned primarily with the faith of the Church and its expression in Religious Life. The Church’s faith—in the loving plan of the Father who sent his Son to be our Savior, in the inspiration of Sacred Scripture, in the gift of grace through the Sacraments, in the nature of the Church guided by the Holy Spirit—this faith is at the heart of the Evangelical Counsels. It motivates the passion for justice shared by so many Religious women and men, and it seeks ever to be expressed in active charity towards those most in need.

Recent media commentary on remarks made on Sunday May the 5th during the General Assembly of the International Union of Superiors General by Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life, has suggested a divergence between the CDF and the Congregation for Religious in their approach to the renewal of Religious Life. Such an interpretation of the Cardinal’s remarks is not justified. The Prefects of these two Congregations work closely together according to their specific responsibilities and have collaborated throughout the process of the Doctrinal Assessment of the LCWR. Archbishop Gerhard Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Cardinal Braz de Aviz met yesterday and reaffirmed their common commitment to the renewal of Religious Life, and particularly to the Doctrinal Assessment of the LCWR and the program of reform it requires, in accordance with the wishes of the Holy Father.

Cardinal Aviz on LCWR: "Daaaad, they were so mean to me, they didn't tell me anything!"

From NCR:

The Vatican decision last year to place the main representative group of U.S. Catholic sisters under the control of bishops was made without consultation or knowledge of the Vatican office that normally deals with matters of religious life, the office's leader said Sunday.

That lack of discussion over whether to criticize the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), said Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, caused him "much pain."

"We have to change this way of doing things," said Braz de Aviz, head of the Vatican's Congregation for Religious.

"We have to improve these relationships," he continued, referring to the April 2012 order regarding LCWR from the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- approved by Pope Benedict XVI -- that ordered the U.S. sisters' group to revise.

"Cardinals can't be mistrustful of each other," Braz de Aviz said. "This is not the way the church should function."

Of course Cardinals should be mistrustful of some other Cardinals. Cardinal Aviz, in particular, was probably the most mysterious name ever chosen by Benedict XVI to head a dicastery. He is just so out of his league in his position, so beneath the seriousness and overall preparedness required of the job, that one simply cannot understand what he is doing there - it would be humorous, were it not tragic. The rumor at the time of his nomination was that Pope Ratzinger asked for a token representative of the largest episcopate in the world following the departure of Cardinal Hummes, and that Avis was the name picked by some of the brightest minds of the local episcopal conference, and Benedict accepted it. Who can forget that Aviz even took part in shouting contests during the conclave?... He thought he was being tough on a Bertone already humbled by the circumstances of the papal resignation, and most Cardinals certainly do not forget that. 

Now, who would wish to submit the decision on matters of the protection of the integrity of the doctrine of the faith, violated every single day by the rebel nuns of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, to the head of dicastery who himself had tried to derail the appropriate investigation started in his own Congregation by his worthy predecessor, Cardinal Rodé? Of course he was kept in the dark - as well he should have, and once again his new "revelation", done out of spite, reveals precisely why he was kept in the dark: his diplomatic skills, indispensable in any kind of "collegial" structure that "Progressives" like him advocate so hard, are clearly as lacking as his managerial competence.

Pope Benedict XVI decided the CDF intervention on the LCWR. Pope Francis, in his first decision on matters of the Doctrine of the Faith, fully confirmed all details decided by his predecessor. Should not this have been enough for Aviz? Or does he think the new Pope's style means who shouts the loudest in the kindergarten wins?

The Comfy Chair treatment and the LCWR

Much has been written in recent weeks about the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's "crackdown" (as the secular media calls it) on the LCWR. The way the media tells this story, one would think that stakes are being prepared, convent libraries are being burned en masse, and the Spanish Inquisition is being brought back to life as Cardinal Levada is finding his inner Torquemada.

The reality is obviously very different. Our question here in Rorate is very simple: how will the CDF and the American bishops actually go about overhauling the LCWR in order to bring it nearer to orthodoxy and to genuine Catholic religious life? Stern episcopal and cardinalitial words against the heterodoxy of liberal nuns are hard but not impossible to find amidst the ecclesiastical verbiage of the past five decades. What we truly hope for are solid disciplinary actions, combined with unambiguous teaching. 

If Cardinal Levada's statements to John Allen (in an exclusive interview, the full text of which was published today, to a periodical still fully using the adjective "Catholic" in its name, without being bothered by any bishop for doing so) are any indication, it would seem that comfy chairs, not hot seats, are being prepared for the LCWR leadership, despite the "blunt" language that earlier reports indicated. The following passages sure look scaaaary! (Emphases ours):

Holy See Press Office: LCWR under direction of the Holy See; must promote doctrine "taught through the ages"

STATEMENT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE CONCERNING THE MEETING AT THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH ABOUT THE DOCTRINAL ASSESSMENT OF THE LCWR

Today the Superiors of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith met with the President and Executive Director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in the United States of America. Most Rev. Peter J. Sartain, Archbishop of Seattle and the Holy See’s Delegate for the doctrinal Assessment of the LCWR, also participated in the meeting.

The meeting provided the opportunity for the Congregation and the LCWR officers to discuss the issues and concerns raised by the doctrinal Assessment in an atmosphere of openness and cordiality.

According to Canon Law, a Conference of Major Superiors such as the LCWR is constituted by and remains under the supreme direction of the Holy See in order to promote common efforts among the individual member Institutes and cooperation with the Holy See and the local Conference of Bishops (Cf. Code of Canon Law, cann. 708-709). The purpose of the doctrinal Assessment is to assist the LCWR in this important mission by promoting a vision of ecclesial communion founded on faith in Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Church as faithfully taught through the ages under the guidance of the Magisterium.
[Source]

CDF condemns perverted book by American "Sister of Mercy"

 CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH 
 Notification on the book
Just love. A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics
by Sr. Margaret A. Farley, R.S.M.

Introduction

Having completed an initial examination of the book Just Love. A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics (New York: Continuum, 2006) by Sr. Margaret A. Farley, R.S.M., the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith wrote to the author on March 29, 2010, through the good offices of Sr. Mary Waskowiak – the then President of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – enclosing a preliminary evaluation of the book and indicating the doctrinal problems present in the text. The response of Sr. Farley, dated October 28, 2010, did not clarify these problems in a satisfactory manner. Because the matter concerned doctrinal errors present in a book whose publication has been a cause of confusion among the faithful, the Congregation decided to undertake an examination following the procedure for "Examination in cases of urgency" contained in the Congregation’s Regulations for Doctrinal Examinations (cf. Chap. IV, art. 23-27).

Following an evaluation by a Commission of experts (cf. art. 24), the Ordinary Session of the Congregation confirmed on June 8, 2011, that the above-mentioned book contained erroneous propositions, the dissemination of which risks grave harm to the faithful. On July 5, 2011, a letter was sent to Sr. Waskowiak containing a list of these erroneous propositions and asking her to invite Sr. Farley to correct the unacceptable theses contained in her book (cf. art. 25-26).

For the record - A Vatican II moment: daughters treating parents as equals

The manner of living, praying and working should be suitably adapted everywhere, but especially in mission territories, to the modern physical and psychological circumstances of the members and also, as required by the nature of each institute, to the necessities of the apostolate, the demands of culture, and social and economic circumstances.

Perfectae caritatis (Decree on the renewal of religious life)
1965

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Right before the dam broke: Conference of Major Superiors of Women (CMSW), later Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), August 1963 - Source.

From the website of the "Leadership Conference of Women Religious" (LCWR), regarding the CDF report on this dissenting group of individuals:

LCWR Board Meets to Review CDF Report

[Washington, DC] The national board of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) held a special meeting in Washington, DC from May 29-31 to review, and plan a response to, the report issued to LCWR by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The board members raised concerns about both the content of the doctrinal assessment and the process by which it was prepared.  Board members concluded that the assessment was based on unsubstantiated accusations and the result of a flawed process that lacked transparency. Moreover, the sanctions imposed were disproportionate to the concerns raised and could compromise their ability to fulfill their mission. The report has furthermore caused scandal and pain throughout the church community, and created greater polarization.

The board determined that the conference will take the following steps:

• On June 12 the LCWR president and executive director will return to Rome to meet with CDF prefect Cardinal William Levada and the apostolic delegate Archbishop Peter Sartain to raise and discuss the board’s concerns.
• Following the discussions in Rome, the conference will gather its members both in regional meetings and in its August assembly to determine its response to the CDF report.

The board recognizes this matter has deeply touched Catholics and non-Catholics throughout the world as evidenced by the thousands of messages of support as well as the dozens of prayer vigils held in numerous parts of the country. It believes that the matters of faith and justice that capture the hearts of Catholic sisters are clearly shared by many people around the world. As the church and society face tumultuous times, the board believes it is imperative [Rorate note: !!!] that these matters be addressed by the entire church community in an atmosphere of openness, honesty, and integrity.

June 1, 2012

For the record: CDF releases doctrinal assessment of Leadership Conference of Women Religious

National Board of the LCWR. Photo source.

Document 1: Doctrinal Assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious

Document 2: Statement of Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the Doctrinal Assessment of the LCWR