Sisters of Mercy doctors say LCWR is injecting politics into dialogue

[zab]

Alma, Mich., Jun 14, 2012 / 02:15 am (CNA).- 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...
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/ne...erm=daily+news

[CaptFun]

Thanks for the article Zab. Kudos to the doctors who prioritize the "language of faith" over the "language of the marketplace" and politics. Majority rule is fine sometimes, but Church authority comes via a hierarchy that Jesus put in place.

Dialogue is one thing. Dissent is another. Rebellion, scandal, and defiance against authority and defined Church teachings OUGHT to be opposed and corrected by the Church's shepherds.

I was very impressed that these women were so discerning and humble yet well-spoken.
"Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God ...."

[_Abyssinia]

We need the voices of Sisters like these.

[catholicanne]

Good for them!

[JimG]

For some reason I couldn't find this news reported in the major news sources. I guess the New York Times wasn't interested. Perhaps Jon Stewart or Colbert would invite them on? Nope.

[zab]

Apparently, our good sisters have been enduring persecution within their own orders for quite some time. I had previously posted an old taping of Sr. Denise Donnelly telling of the persecution that she suffered within her order of the Sisters of St. Joseph Nazareth. And I came across another example of mistreatment when reading about Sr. Mildred Neuzil, (associated with the messages of Our Lady of America). Sr. Neuzil was among a group of 7 nuns within the Congregation of the Sisters of the Precious Blood who requested, and was granted permission, to form a contemplative group within the active order. It just wouldn't work out, having a community within a community. But there is no excuse for the unjust treatment that was done to them. You can read about it here. I wonder how many more Sisters were treated in this manner that we just have not heard about. No doubt the appointment of Archbishop Sartain to lead the renewal of the LCWR is a long awaited blessing to many of our good Sisters who have suffered silently over the decades because of their desire to be faithful to their vows and to the way of life that they were taught, or because of a desire to live a deeper spiritual life as a contemplative, and to remain faithful to the teachings of the Church.

[_Abyssinia]

Originally Posted by JimG

For some reason I couldn't find this news reported in the major news sources. I guess the New York Times wasn't interested. Perhaps Jon Stewart or Colbert would invite them on? Nope.

Shock.

[MarcoPolo]

Here is The Catholic World Report article on the same story.
Here is the full text of the Sisters' statement (currently viewable on their homepage):

We, the physicians and future physicians of the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan, met on June 2, 2012, to articulate the vision of the call and contribution of religious women in the redemptive healing ministry of the Church. We also addressed statements issued by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), various news agencies, and other organizations which have created confusion, polarization, and false representations about the beliefs, activities, and priorities of a significant number of women religious in the United States.

As religious women, our whole life is based in faith. Apart from faith, religious life has no meaning. The doctrinal assessment from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) regarding the LCWR is in the language of faith. The responses of opposition are being expressed using the language of politics. 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. In addition, the language of faith does not contradict reason, but elevates it and secures its integrity. The language of politics arises from the social marketplace. The Sisters who use political language in their responses to the magisterial Church reflect the poverty of their education and formation in the faith.

The call to religious life, begun in Baptism, is lived through the practice of the evangelical counsels. A religious call is a gift from God, not a right. The charism of the religious community is given to enrich the Church, and its authenticity must be discerned by the hierarchy. A woman religious participates in the charism and cannot separate her work from the Church. As women religious physicians who uphold the teachings of the Church, we defend the dignity of each human person. This dignity is under attack, as evidenced by our government’s and social media’s use of the language of “women’s rights” to promote birth control, abortion and sterilization as benign health care services. This is a naïve position and demonstrates ignorance of the serious effects of these health care services on women’s physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being.

The Incarnational significance of God becoming man brings to a point of convergence the suffering of mankind and the mercy of God in His redemptive mission. This convergence within the call of the woman religious physician unites the profession of medicine to the transcendental reality of faith, drawing patients and our physician-colleagues into the redemptive mystery of suffering. The redemptive power of Jesus was most tangibly revealed in His ministry to the sick, and by His words, He frequently related a miracle of physical healing to the more profound healing of the spiritual wounds inflicted by sin.

We praise the generosity and service of religious women who have gone before us. We see great hope for the future of religious life within the Church and for a continuation of its health care mission in the service of all people. This hope lies in remaining within the deposit of faith and the hierarchical structure of the Church. We cannot separate ourselves from sacred Tradition or claim to advance beyond the Church. There will be new expressions of the faith to meet the needs of this present day, but these will be contained within and directed by the Magisterium of the Church. As Saint Augustine exclaims, “O Beauty, ever ancient, ever new!”

[piejesu]

We have some RSM attached to our Cathedral parish and they are wonderfully orthodox, habits and all!

[Tigg]

The Sisters who use political language in their responses to the magisterial Church reflect the poverty of their education and formation in the faith.

LOVE IT! Thank you, Dear Sisters!

[Elizabeth502]

The charism of the religious community is given to enrich the Church, and its authenticity must be discerned by the hierarchy. A woman religious participates in the charism and cannot separate her work from the Church.

Amen, Sisters.

This was one of the major points of the recently aired EWTN Roundtable.