The Vatican's Apostolic Visitation of Institutions of Women Religious

As someone who attended a Catholic high school where some of the classes were taught by Sisters, I thought this article was interesting. The Vatican is conducting a “Doctrinal Investigation” of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which represents the vast majority of women’s religious orders (sisters and nuns) in the United States. According to this article from USA Today, the Vatican didn’t feel that the LCWR takes a strong enough stance against controversial issues like abortion, gay marriage, and women’s ordination to the priesthood. The article also mentions that the LCWR supported Obama’s Health Care bill when most US Bishops did not. The Vatican launched an “Apostolic Visitation of Institutions of Women Religious” in 2009 (which it has a website devoted to, in case anyone is interested) to investigate the leadership of Women Religious institutions in the United States.

I find this whole issue very interesting as it really shows the difference in opinions and the conflicts that can arise within the Catholic Church.  I also find it very interesting that the Vatican is quoted as saying the LCWR supports conferences featuring “a prevalence of certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the catholic faith.”

For me, the issue raises a lot of questions. I don’t  understand why there can’t be debate within the Catholic Church. I understand why church doctrine is important, but on the other hand I think it’s important to have open conversations about controversial topics. As there has been a lot about women’s issues and women's rights in the news lately, I wonder what kind of effect this story will have on public opinion of the Vatican. Finally, one issue this article brushes on is ordination of women. I have really never understood why women can’t be ordained as priests in the Catholic Church, and no one has ever been able to give me a good answer to this question.