I’m sure you all are aware, at least in some capacity, of the Vatican’s apostolic visitation occurring in the US at the moment, investigating religious communities. you’re probably also aware that many communities have reacted with some form of dissent, arguing that such activities are intrusive and interfere with their lives and work.
Reading a number of articles explaining the viewpoint of the “dissenters”, I quickly picked up a common thread in the argument against the Vatican’s visitation. Communities who have departed from the orthodox teachings of the Church on issues such as abortion, homosexuality and women priests feel they are being targeted, so that such strains of unorthodox behaviour may be rooted out. Other religious (not necessarily dissenters) feel that the aims of the visitation are somewhat ambiguous and fear that they may be forced to live out their religious vocation in a more traditional manner.
As I read through the articles, I could help but think about what was meant when the authors spoke of more traditional moulds of religious life. I’m not exactly well acquainted with how every single religious order lives out their spirit but one would think that the religious vocation should have some kind of prayer routine build into daily life – prayer of the Church most probably – as well as engaging in activities appropriate to their charism. I always understood the religious life as a death to the world and have always looked upon religious with a might respect and as a sign of things eternal. Now tell me, am I just super old fashioned or has this way of viewing the religious vocation still valid but uncommonly spoken about?
Someone once said to me that problems begin to occur with religious communities when they begin to lose sight of their founding mission and the spirit personified in their founder. What do you all think about that statement?
One might be interested in reading this article about a nun who believes that it’s part of her charism to accompany young women to have abortions.
Filia,
What do you mean by “the religious life as a death to the world” ?
Isn’t every Christian life, religious or lay, supposed to be “a death to the world” in a certain sense ?
That doesn’t mean every religious order needs to totally isolate itself from the world or that every religious order needs to be stuck in a pre-Vatican II time warp.
From what I can tell, religious orders are pretty much all declining to answer all the questions posed in this investigation, which they see as unnecessarily intrusive. The Vatican has agreed with them by removing some of the questions :
http://ncronline.org/news/women/women-religious-not-complying-vatican-study
That resistance to the investigation is spectacular and unprecedented.
I think it is an enormous ask to expect women religious today to agree with the ban on ordaining women. That simply is not going to happen.
The particular spirituality of Cardinal Franc Rodé, Prefect of the Congregation for the Religious, and the person conducting the Apostolic Investigation of U.S nuns would seem to be rather on the traditionalist fringe if these photos are any indication.
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/cardinal-rod%C3%A9-photos-meditation?page=1
The visitation seems to be under the control of leaders who are very much on the traditionalist fringe of the Church, and who embrace a spirituality radically different from most religious orders today.
As to religious orders adjusting their activities to better suit the needs of the times, and to be more involved in society, I think that the Second Vatican Council called on all Catholics to do that.
The problem seems to be that many religious orders took what Vatican II taught to heart and started to live it out, in particular challenging social injustice. That has led to some spectacular conflicts with those preferring nuns to stick to their quiet, docile, and obedient pre-Vatican II style (eg those U.S. bishops who banned nuns from participating in civil rights marches).
The issue here is not about abortions or homosexuality or women priests (the favourite “hot button” obsessions of the Catholic Right Wing).
It’s about the powers that be trying to reign in religious orders who are living out what Vatican II asked them to live out.
God Bless
I think the Sister Donna Quinn matter comes in at number 345,823 as to why the visitation is needed.
It is interesting to note that those entering religious life today are choosing some of the orders who have not thrown away the vow of holy obedience along with the holy habit which gives witness to their commitment as brides of Christ.
Shallom
The case of Sister Donna Quinn indicates that the governance of US religious orders are actually working rather well, as her order has reprimanded her.
God Bless
Chris,
Are you judging the value of the performance of all the religious orders by the performance of one particular order who had no option but to rein in Sister Quin? It is just as well that Rome does not wear similar blinkers I feel!!!
Shallom
Regarding Sr Quinn and the wider topic of the visitation, here’s some commentary (hope it’s not a subscriber-only situation).
It’s nice that the order eventually did something after many years and some wishy-washy statements soon after the scandal was uncovered.
Here’s a link to the website of the Apostolic Visitation.
http://apostolicvisitation.org/en/approach/index.html
And here are the credentials of Mother Clare Milia, the Apostolic Visitor:
http://apostolicvisitation.org/en/about/sistermaryclare.html
She looks perfect for the job, given her qualifications in psychology, her experience as a nun and as a superior general for her order, and her multiple languages.
And here’s an interesting take:
http://www.ncregister.com/daily/nuns_react_to_apostolic_visitation/
This talks about the hopes and fears of ordinary sisters, who see their leaders resisting the Apostolic Visitation, but who themselves see the value and necessity of it.
Thank you J P for the websites above… very helpful in understanding what is involved in it all the way through … we are a long way from U S A but our prayers for blessings on the outcome are not are they … thank you again….
Shallom
okay
Consider those civil rights marches put abortions and gay marriages as a “human right”, I think it is the Bishop’s responsibility to ban a very distinctive representative of the Catholic Church (religious) to be involve in it.
OP-ter,
I was referring to the Black Civil Rights marches in the 1960’s.
God Bless
Chris,
In your first response to Filia you questioned her statement that religious life is a death to the world and felt that this applied to all of us but in different levels.
True that we must prefer and love God above all, but the true religious, when she responds to God’s call to be exclusively His she takes the vows of poverty, chasity and obedience thus giving her all to God, her will included, this she does through her Superior … she then owns nothing and is indeed ” dead to the world ” for all things belong to the community and she is given what she needs and she thus considers these as things for her use and not for her possession
Chris, from experience I can assure you that there is more peace and real joy in the spiritual and daily life of a religious community ( even if what i experienced was in a community caught in, what you called, ” a time warp ” but what I would call God’s bit of Heaven …. troubles began post Vatican 11, not from what the holy Father wanted to get from it but what ‘progressives ” wanted ( they managed to read into it more than was really meant Ifeel sure )
Shallom