The Vatican vs the American nuns

I've been thinking a lot about the nuns lately -- the American nuns that the Vatican has been denouncing and sanctioning.

I write as a non-Catholic, of course with no personal experience of being Catholic.   I do recall stories from friends about the mean nuns they had for teachers in parochial school.  And I suppose there are the occasional obsessed ones like the Mother Superior portrayed by Meryl Streep in Doubt. 

On the other hand, I have been a patient in a Catholic run hospital, and I was impressed by the overall spirit of care and compassion in the hospital.   I recall a very kind and lovely nun from the administration coming by to see if I needed anything, but there was not a shred of putting her religious views on display.  She simply lived as an example;  and from what I saw she was a very good example of kindness and consideration for others.

My impression of nuns is generally quite favorable -- the tireless and selfless ones working in the slums or in hospitals or in primitive cultures, the ones who have been martyred fighting for human rights.   They seem closer to the people;  their values seem more closely connected to human needs. 

They seem more truly Christian in following the teachings of Jesus than the hierarchy of the Vatican with all its ornate costumes and rituals -- and its disconnect from the people and from modern life as it is lived outside the cloister of the Vatican.  Have you ever heard of a nun who wears custom made red shoes, as does the pope, or whose ceremonial headdress is studded with gems and gold?

Thus, I have little patience with their male hierarchy, starting with Benedict himself, for denouncing the American nuns for spending too much time on human concerns (poverty, health care, civil rights for gays) and not enough on defending "the faith" as defined by the Holy See.

Does Benedict really think the nuns should get out of the soup kitchens and march in protest of abortion and gay marriage?   That seems to be the case.

This spring, the Vatican announced it was sending a team of three American bishops to lead "a complete makeover" of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an organization that represents about 80% of U. S. nuns.

A spokeswoman for the group said they had been "stunned by the severity" of the Vatican's criticism that accused them of promoting "radical feminism" and of contradicting the bishops.  One of the accusations, according to a New York Times article (6/2/12) was that they "focused their efforts on serving the poor and disenfranchised, while remaining virtually silent on issues the church considers great societal evils:  abortion and same-sex marriage."


If I were to choose an example of the effect of being Christian on a person's life, it would not be the Pope or his minions, who not only protected and covered up but enabled accused priests to further abuse little children.  It would not be a hierarchy more concerned with maintaining an other-worldly piety while putting dogma ahead of people.   It would be the humbleness and kindness of nuns who put people and their needs at the heart of their life of service to God.

Isn't that what Jesus taught?

I personally -- speaking as a non-Catholic, of course -- think the Roman Catholic Church and its world-wide religious reach would be better off if they made a radical change and gave the nuns an equal place in the hierarchy and the Vatican.    Imagine a female pope !!   It might lead to the transformation that the church seems to need.

But small steps first.   Instead of a delegation of bishops to lead a makeover of the nuns' organization, I recommend a delegation of nuns to lead a makeover of the Vatican.

Ralph