A Form of Schism

Great article by George Weigel at the Ethics & Public Policy Center.

See: http://www.eppc.org/publications/pubid.3780/pub_detail.asp

Sisters on a Different Mountaintop By George Weigel Posted: Monday, April 6, 2009 THE CATHOLIC DIFFERENCE Publication Date: March 25, 2009 On Jan. 30, an apostolic visitation of religious orders of women in the United States was announced. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), whose membership includes most of the sisters whose manner of life and apostolates will be explored, subsequently released a measured statement, expressing its "surprise" at the Vatican-mandated visitation. The LCWR statement also hinted vaguely at a degree of alarm, noting that the visitation's "purposes and implications for the lives of U.S. women religious remain unclear." A far more forthright comment on the visitation came from Sister Sandra Schneiders, IHM, who teaches New Testament at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley and is completing a multi-volume study of post-Vatican II religious life. (She holds an M.A. from the University of Detroit, and S.T.L. from the Institut Catholique de Paris, and an S.T.D. from the Pontifical Gregorian University.) Dr. Schneiders' letter on the visitation was originally intended for friends and colleagues; it inevitably leaked into the blogosphere and was then published with Dr. Schneiders' permission in the online National Catholic Reporter. There was nothing vague about Dr. Schneiders' reaction to the impending visitation: "I am not inclined to get into too much of a panic about this investigation --- which is what it is. We just went through a similar investigation of seminaries, equally aggressive and dishonest. I do not put any credence at all in the claim that this is friendly, transparent, aimed to be helpful, etc. It is a hostile move and the conclusions are already in. It is meant to be intimidating. But I think if we believe in what we are doing (and I definitely do), we just have to be peacefully about our business, which is announcing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, fostering the Reign of God in this world. "We cannot, of course, keep them from investigating. But we can receive them, politely and kindly, for what they are, uninvited guests who should be received in the parlor, not given the run of the house. When people ask questions they shouldn't ask, the questions should be answered accordingly. "I just hope we will not, as we American religious so often do, think that by total 'openness' and efforts to 'dialogue' we are going to bring about mutual understanding and acceptance. This is not mutual and it is not a dialogue. The investigators are not coming to understand --- believe me, we found that out in the seminary investigation. "So let's be honest but reserved, supply no ammunition that can be aimed at us, be non-violent even in the face of violence, but not be naive. Non-violent resistance is what finally works as we've found out in so many arenas." Between the circumspection of the LCWR and the call-to-arms of Sister Sandra Schneiders, I'll take Dr. Schneiders' any day. Hers is perhaps the most candid summation of the cast of mind of many American religious women I've read in years. What it avoids, however, is the clear implication of Dr. Schneiders' use of "them" to identity the "investigators:" "them" are not, so to speak, "us." "We" are not of, or with, "them." "Them" reminds me of the Master of Trinity in Chariots of Fire, speaking of a Cambridge student whose approach to athletics (and indeed life) he deplored: "A different god; a different mountaintop." What Sister Sandra Schneiders' admirably frank letter suggests is that the women religious who share her views live in a form of schism. It's not a formal, canonical schism. One might call it a kind of psychological schism, in which the outward forms of ecclesial unity are tenuously maintained, but the inner "self" (as these renewed sisters might put it) is, well, somewhere else. The balance of Dr. Schneiders' letter argues that she and her colleagues have "birthed a new form of religious life," and makes clear that she and those who stand with her will accept no one's appraisal of the Catholic authenticity of their creation but their own. That's an accurate, honest description of the current state of affairs. It also bespeaks a form of schism. Will the impending visitation take a cue from Dr. Schneiders and have the courage to name these things for what they are? And if so, then what? -- George Weigel is a distinguished senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

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Here's "Sister" Schneiders' pic:

 

Here's another heretical quote from her:

From her book Beyond Patching: Faith and Feminism in the Catholic Church

(Mahwah, NJ, Paulist Press, 1991, page 110.):

"When the first Women's Ordination Conference met in Detroit in 1975, the women who attended were focused on...the admission of women to orders.....Since 1978, women have come to realize that...we are not talking about how to organize the institution. We are talking about whether the God of Judeo-Christian revelation is true God or just men-writ-large to legitimate their domination; whether Jesus, an historical male, is or can be messiah and savior for those who are not male; whether what the church has called sacraments are really encounters with Christ, or tools of male ritual abuse of women; whether what we have called church is a community of salvation or simply a male power structure."

Comments

[dr]

Actually, I am glad she is vocal about this. It gives the Church the opportunity to remove her. If she were quiet about her acts and insanity, then we would not know about it.

[Time to stop the rot?]

It would be an act of mercy and kindness if the orders with declining vocations and publicly documented disloyalty and white anting of the magisterium were simply closed and members given the option of laicization or being absorbed into some of the orders who are flourishing and who are known to be loyal to the magisterium.
Many of the older sisters in the groups that have lost their way might be glad of a new home and it would protect the laity and more importantly the young from false teaching and bad example.

[Alban]

George Weigel is correct. There is a "psychological schism" and it gets bigger and bigger each day. It is happening under the guise of unity and adherence to the Church's "magisterium".

Rome may silence Sister Schneiders, but she will be followed by legions just like her. No number of anathemas and thunder bolts from the Vatican will stop women from moving toward eventual ordination to the priesthood WITHIN the Catholic Church.

[Hush now]

An odd definition of schism? It is impossible to have ordination within the Church if the magisterium says it is not possible. Any such ordination is outside the Church and its followers have by their own actions walked out of Mother Church.If the Holy Spirit wishes to change Christ's precedent of selecting only males for the priesthood He will do what the Holy Spirit has always done Great saints will be visited by God and told they must give a message to the Church that God is asking for this change No amount of human lobbying and politicking by laity or clergy will bring about female ordination unless the Blessed Trinity wishes it to be so. In the meantime there is a virtue called holy obedience which the great saints possessed in bucket loads and which many of us could do well to develop.

[diane]

"Rome may silence Sister Schneiders, but she will be followed by legions just like her."

er, I rather doubt it. The dissidents are graying, getting long in the tooth, and dwindling in numbers. They are literally dying off. And, if you think young Catholics are inspired by the example of these dinosaurs, you must not know too many young Catholics.

[danny beano]

wow, what else can we say when the Magisterium needs to interfere with the nuns. get real Vatican.

[Sister Zelda]

Mathew and Luke agree that "Blessed are those persecuted for seeking righteousness." Contemporary religious life born in this first world nation speaks of the life of Jesus who identifies with people who are powerless, voiceless and disenfranchised even within their own faith community. These Vatican investigations attest to the seeking of righteousness in the lives of religious congregations and their members who support Gospel values over corporate greed and epidemic violence. May the outcome of these investigations attest to the emerging lifestyle where women of faith know their contribution to the reign of God on earth.

[Reggie]

Why do we think that silencing her, that this issue will go away? I find that it is amazing how we are ready to discount someone for thier thoughts. I understand that she may be wrong in her thoughts and writings, however,What I think we need to have is dialogue, to let her truely understand the reasoning behind church teaching. Otherwise what I am reading here in the comments is..."Be quiet.. you are not worth listening to".. And some of us have been on that end before, yet, How quickley we forget.

[Enough is enough!]

This sister showed no respect for the Holy Father or His emissary when she circulated her inhouse email urging them not to cooperate with the visiting delegation and labelling their visit an attempt to silence the order and close it down.Some people use the word dialogue when what they really mean is we will not accept Truth and will remain contemptuous of the Church's mandate to teach Christ's Truth. They want to create their own person made Truth and woe betide the person who questions them. Mind you they still want to use the Church's property and support and name! If you are too proud to accept that the magisterium teaches Christ's Truth at least have the honesty to leave the Church instead of trying to undermine and impose your own misguided and false theology on those loyal to Mother Church and fed up with your guile and duplicity

[Reggie]

Lets leave the judging to the people that are going to do the investigations. I find being Judge, Jury and executioner very exhausting. "If you are too proud to accept that the magisterium teaches Christ's Truth at least have the honesty to leave the Church instead of trying to undermine and impose your own misguided and false theology on those loyal to Mother Church and fed up with your guile and duplicity" Pick up the stone. I dare you to throw it. Who is really living up to the truth that the church teaches?

[Enough is enough!]

Reggie
I am not into stoning nor into judging others.This nun 's own email mocks and urges others to be outwardly co-operative but secretly obstructive and defiant.If she has nothing to hide or fear from a visiting delegation why such behaviour?
Nor am I suggesting I or anyone else is a paragon of virtue We are all sinners in constant need of God's mercy and grace.
Instead of urging her fellow sisters to be wary and cautious she should have been saying be open, honest and go about your daily routines as usual.
When things are fuelled by the Holy Spirit they bear good fruit and will survive fo as long as the Spirit deems it necessary.Sisters with a deep faith and trust in the Holy Spirit will accept with holy obedience and equanimity whatever the future brings.

[KvK]

This attitude of them versus us went out in the 80's and these women need to move on. Why be a part of the Church when they have effectively removed themselves from it's teachings. Who were they making their vows to? So then I guess they aren't accountable to anyone except themselves! Wow, I thought a vocation was about putting Christ and the Church first?

This nonsense is why there are virtually no new vocations to these feminist stuck in the 60's communities.

[Richard Gordon, London]

The woman is clearly wrong. You in America have a 'hyper-market' of religious groups. Surely, there is somewhere where she might find solace for her sense of anger against the Creator. I suspect she gets a buzz out of being contrary. A real attention seeker.