Jun 14, 2012 / 01:15 am
Physicians who are also Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma are criticizing the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and its defenders for using an impoverished "language of politics" instead of "the language of faith" in the dialogue with the Catholic hierarchy.
"There is no basis for authentic dialogue between these two languages. The language of faith is rooted in Jesus Christ, His life and His mission, as well as the magisterial teaching of the Church," said the physician-sisters' statement, which was issued after a June 2 meeting on the contributions of religious women in the healing ministry of the Catholic Church.
"The language of politics arises from the social marketplace," they said. "The Sisters who use political language in their responses to the magisterial Church reflect the poverty of their education and formation in the faith."
In April 2012, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released the results of a four-year doctrinal assessment which determined that the Leadership Conference of Women Religious exhibited a "crisis" of belief and "serious doctrinal problems." The audit also found that letters from conference officers suggested the presence of "corporate dissent" from Church teaching on issues like the ordination of men to the priesthood and homosexuality.