LCWR Pesident to Ssters: 'Be Fearless' on Vatican Mandate"/NCR

ST. LOUIS -- Hours before the U.S. Catholic sisters meeting here were expected to decide how to respond to the Vatican’s harsh rebuke of their leadership organization, its president told them to be “truthful, but gentle and absolutely fearless.”

Franciscan Sr. Pat Farrell spoke Friday morning at the annual meeting of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which represents some 80 percent of 57,000 Catholic sisters in the U.S.

As LCWR’s president, Farrell has been chiefly responsible for handling the Vatican’s rebuke, which came in April 18 mandate ordering the group to revise and place itself under the control of three U.S. bishops.

Taking the stage to a standing ovation, Farrell said that “some larger movement in the church … has landed on LCWR.”

A key question facing LCWR, she said, is “What would a prophetic response to the doctrinal assessment look like?”

“I think it would be humble, but not submissive,” she continued. “Rooted in a solid sense of ourselves, but not self-righteous; truthful, but gentle and absolutely fearless.

“It would ask probing questions. Are we being invited to some appropriate pruning and are we open to it? Is this doctrinal process an expression of concern or an attempt to control?

“Concern is based in love and invites unity. Control through fear and intimidation would be an abuse of power.