"Bishop Morlino Cracks Dow on Madison Nuns"/Grand Inquisition of Nuns and Women Priests' Supporters Continues/ Part of Papal Crackdown

http://host.madison.com/news/local/bishop-robert-morlino-cracks-down-on-madison-nuns-for-espousing/article_37f434d0-4325-11e2-a826-001a4bcf887a.html#.UMd1vBa91AV.email

..."Brent King, a spokesman for the diocese, said three other potential parish guest speakers, all male, have been banned "in recent years." The women are not prohibited from attending Mass or, if Catholic, from receiving communion, King said. Asked whether they could contribute to parish life in other ways, such as reading Bible passages from the pulpit or chairing a church committee, King said that would be up to individual priests.
The action comes amid a papal crackdown on nuns. Earlier this year, the Vatican accused the most influential group of Catholic sisters in the U.S. of "serious doctrinal issues" for not following Rome's lead on topics such as the male-only priesthood and homosexuality.
Interfaith approach
Wisdom's Well was founded in Madison in 2006. The center has no physical facility but offers workshops and retreats on topics such as nonviolence, contemplative living and Christian meditation.
The center's website says it "serves to support those who desire to grow spiritually, seek inner wisdom, and yearn for a transformative spirituality." Its mission statement says the center is "grounded in the Christian tradition, while embracing the wisdom found in other religious traditions."
Along with the sisters, the third staff member is Beth O'Brien, a married mother of two and a religious layperson affiliated with the Benedictine community. She also is banned, as is Paula Hirschboeck, a philosophy professor at Edgewood College in Madison who helped found Wisdom's Well but is no longer on its staff.
The women declined comment, referring questions to the Dominicans of Sinsinawa Congregation, based in southwestern Wisconsin.
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
All God's people belong to God's family. Neither Bishop Morlino nor the Pope can put God in a box. The Spirit blows where She wills including in the wisdom of other religions' sacred stories! This recent Vatican crackdown against the nuns and women priests' supporters will alienate more and more Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Sadly, the institutional church is slamming the door on many faithful women like the nuns in this story who have devoted their lives to service of God's people. But, from another perspective, the Vatican and the bishops are the gifts that keep on giving as the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement continues to flourish.
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