One of the charisms of religious life is to live prophetic obedience to the Spirit, not blind obedience to the Pope or bishops.
Sisters, you are on a collision course with the Vatican and U.S. bishops. It is time to remind the bishops that primacy of conscience is an authoritative teaching of the church, and this is your first priority. The bullying tactics of the Vatican and some U.S. bishops against the nuns are counterproductive and unbecoming of servants of Jesus Christ. The real scandal in the church today is not the nuns dissent on health care, but the bishops' cover-up of the worldwide sex abuse of youth. This is the crisis that is bringing down the institutional church.
Bridget Mary Meehan, sfcc
R.I. hospital latest victim in health care flap
More fallout for Catholic Health Association endorsing health reform bill
Apr. 16, 2010
By Thomas C. Fox - NCR Online
Politics
http://ncronline.org/news/politics/ri-hospital-latest-victim-health-care-flap
Bishop Thomas Tobin (CNS)
A Rhode Island health care system has become the latest casualty following a bitter split between U.S. Catholic bishops and Catholic organizations over abortion clauses in health care legislation last month.
Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, R.I., has demanded that the Catholic Health Association remove St. Joseph Health Services of Rhode Island from its membership rolls, calling its affiliation with the association “embarrassing.”
"Using strong words during an address in Mundelein Seminary, Archbishop Raymond Burke, former archbishop of Saint Louis and now head of the Vatican’s Apostolic Signatura reportedly said April 9 that consecrated religious who openly dissent from the authority of Rome and the church's teaching on life are "an absurdity of the most tragic kind" and should cease identifying themselves as Catholic"...
"Who ever could have imagined that religious congregations of pontifical right, would openly organize to resist and attempt to frustrate an apostolic visitation, that is, a visit to their congregations carried out under the authority of the vicar of Christ on earth, to whom all religious are bound by the strongest bonds of loyalty and obedience?" he asked.
Living Gospel Inclusivity and Empowerment Now
The nuns dissented on abortion, not health care. Get your facts straight. The bishops took issue with the abortion language in the bill, while the nuns claimed it was not a problem -- which indeed it was, hence the need for Obama's executive order (btw, not worth the paper it's written on).
ReplyDeleteThese nuns can follow their deformed consciences, sure. However, there are consequences for our actions. Excommunication is one of them. Not that you care much about that, do you Bridget?
Get your facts straight. The nuns dissented on the interpretation of the bill. The bishops said it meant one thing; they said it meant another. I suppose you agree with everything that every bishop says! I sure don't. Bishops are not infallible and sometimes they are just plain wrong. Also, according to Canon Law, anyone has a right to call a disagreement to a bishop's attention.
ReplyDeleteRavensbarque,
ReplyDeleteYou are correct !
And Mike ... It is clear to me that you are Apologist, just using a new "unknown blogger account"
Too Funny ! You have always written personal wording attacks on Bridget Mary in your posts.
Now you have "cloned yourself", but your tone is still there.
Clues: the over usage of "Hence".
Your threats about Excommunication.
And your personal words to Bridget Mary...
""""Not that you care much about that, do you Bridget? """""
The verbal written pattern speaks for itself. YOU have been profiled again Apologist !
I am laughing out loud !