LCWR observers see a model for the wider church

It’s been a month since the Vatican quietly ended its controversial oversight of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. With no press conference and little fanfare, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and LCWR – the umbrella leadership group that represents close to 80 percent of the United States’ 57,000 Catholic sisters – issued a joint statement on April 16 announcing the fulfillment of the 2012 mandate for LCWR reform.

And then they went silent.

Per a request from Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, for 30 days, neither party would speak about what had transpired, leaving observers to speculate about the implications. Did LCWR capitulate? Did the Vatican? How much did Pope Francis have to do with this?

But now, after the month-long moratorium, the sisters have spoken, acknowledging the sadness, scandal and humiliation of both the doctrinal assessment and the subsequent mandate, but expressing gratefulness for the process and hope for the future.

Read the full article on Global Sisters Report website. LCWR observers see a model for the wider church

Related Features:

• Breaking the Silence: LCWR evaluates end of mandate
• Q & A with Sr. Sharon Holland, president of LCWR
• Statement of the LCWR Officers on the CDF Doctrinal Assessment and Conclusion of the Mandate
• Timeline of LCWR / CDF interactions 2008-present
• LCWR statements about doctrinal assessment, 2009-2015