'Uppity nuns' and Anglican scorn for women priests

Taking the Traditional Anglican Communion at its word, that there are 400,000 communicants ready to move to Rome (forgetting, for discussion's sake, that there are a) probably not 400,000 communicants and b) that not all will move to Rome), that leaves, what, 77 million other Anglicans in the Anglican Communion?

And, admitting that more than half of those 77 million Anglicans are Kenyan and Nigerian Evangelicals, that leaves no more than, say 30 million Anglicans who seem to have decided to be (as they define it) "welcoming & inclusive." They're not "scorning women as priests and ... scorn[ing] gay people."

Attention Briggs, Dowd & Fox: the room is sorting. Is this a problem for you? You're finally getting the form of Christianity you've always wanted. It seems to be something like Anglicanism, or selected parts of the other Reformation-derived communities. Your hard work is paying off - why complain?

A great column by Maureen and a great book by Ken.

Dailykos.com has a post by a sister who quotes Maureen Dowd's NYT article today.

First we have those autodidacts at the SSPX received into this brave new Ratzinger Roman Catholic Church almost apologetically and without any condition from their long state of schism.

Now we have the Roman arms flung wide open to receive into personal episcopate the same disdainful anglicans who persecuted, slaughtered and enslaved us for centuries.

Will Archbishop Burke and Bernie Law choose their break-away anglican bishops over at the Congregation for Bishops biweekly meetings?

The common thread appears to be politics, and obedience to human commanders.

Very recently I read in our local Mexican newspaper, El Diario, that old anti-communist Sun Myoung Moon, founder of the far-right wing Washington Times, presided at the worldwide wedding of thousands upon thousands of couples, all heterosexual, many arranged by his sect without having previously met one another, acting in the most intimate obedience to the sect.

First we receive the right wingers of the SSPX. Then we take in anglicans disgruntled at sharing a pew with those of diverse lifestyles and genders.

Next up: Moonies!

When do we get down to healing the sick, bringing Good News to the poor, receiving the alien in our midst, and loving our enemy?

Oh, yeah, for Roman Catholics with any historical memory, the Anglicans have always been our enemy. Well, let's love them . . .

Holy English Jesuit Martyrs and Cistercian company, ora pro nobis!
Uncounted Irish Innocents (Read Mary Lyon's book Feed the Children First),
ora pro nobis!
and forgive us, as we forgive those who trespassed against you . . .
frère charles du désert OSB OBLAT (Congrégation de Subiaco)

I think it may be more accurated to say that the modern nuns betrayed the Catholic Church. Educating the children of the faithful or caring for the sick was not good enough for these gals! The Spirit allowed their orders to die out. They are rightly being investigated and need a come-Uppance!

This is something that really bothers me about the offer. Rome is essentially saying they want more people coming into the Church but only if they favour the status quo of inequality towards women and gays. As a Catholic who believes in full equality of all members of the church in all duties and roles I find this offensive. Rome is trying to entrench their traditionalist grip because they sense that the laity of the Church are in fact overwhelming opposed to going backwards and making the church more traditional. The Catholic church needs to declare and end to the ban women being priests and stop their hypocritical approach to gays in the church and as priests in the church.

No! We are motivated by fidelity to the Lord Jesus Christ - and because of that fidelity we are disdained and scorned by liberals like Briggs.

Thank you, Maureen Dowd for pointing out the utter absurdity, not to mention the absolute waste of at least $1.1 million dollars, of these "Apostolic Visitations:"

"The Vatican is now conducting two inquisitions into the “quality of life” of American nuns, a dwindling group with an average age of about 70, hoping to herd them back into their old-fashioned habits and convents and curb any speck of modernity or independence."

Weak, impotent old men picking on semi-retired grandmothers, trying -now that they have risen to the corporate offices of the organization- to settle scores and win battles that they lost with these women decades ago - and they're gonna lose again, cuz American Catholics won't stand for it!!

Thank you Mr.Fox for the excellent and revealing article about the investigation of Nuns in America. I read Ms Dowd's article in the New York Times and agree with the ideas she expressed about what is happening within the Church in the years since Vatican II. Conservatives like members of the Curia in the Vatican, some of the conservative bishops in America, Pope Paul VI, John Paul II, and our present Pope fought to prevent the reforms that were called for by the Second Vatican Council. Rather than investigate the Nuns, we should have an investigation of the actions of the leadership of the Church from the Vatican down to the Cardinals, Bishops who have been causisng scandal by their actions. I hope and pray the Catholic Church will reform itself and open itself to the Holy Spirit.

I'm wondering when people began thinking that the Roman Catholic Church did everything by Democratic vote via the people? When and for how long has this been going on?

I have read the Maureen Dawd's article. It is fabulous. Her cheeky style beautifully incorporates the truth about the church's position and expressions on women "in the church and in the world" in a manner that is meant to infuriate the guilty, because of its accuracy and please the adversary, because they would not dare to speak in these terms.

It is about time, and a spectacular event, that the "visitation" and the "investigation" have made it into the main-line press. I hope that it catches on.

Whatever happened to the doctrinal and dogmatic differences that separate us from the Anglicans? For years this was the point that kept us apart. Where is this mentioned in Rome's recent decision to accept Anglicans unhappy with their church's inclusion of gay and women clergy? Suddenly all is made well on this topic?