Vatican Not Amused Over American Nun’s “Birthing” Antics

England’s Damian Thompson has found where American nuns have taken “matters” into their own hands and are “busy ‘birthing’ a new style of ‘being’ Church” and that the Vatican is not “amused”:

From The Telegraph:

The Sisters of Perpetual Indignation tell the Vatican to get stuffed

Old-style nuns may have been formidable figures, but nothing like as terrifying as the new breed of American nuns I call the Sisters of Perpetual Indignation, who spend most of their time clumping round parishes in their Birkenstocks boring everyone senseless on the subject of justice ‘n’ peace.

Now the sisterhood has decided that it’s far too busy birthing – yes, birthing – a new style of “being Church” to allow an official inspection of religious orders by the Roman Catholic Church. (Remember that outfit? The one you’re supposed to belong to?)

Sister Sandra M Schneiders, of the deceptively old-fashioned-sounding Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, has sent an email to fellow liberal nuns telling them that the Vatican has got a cheek inquiring into their affairs. She writes:

I am not inclined to get into too much of a panic about this investigation – which is what it is … 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 have come to the conclusion that Congregations like ours have, in fact, birthed a new form of Religious Life.

Of course, what the nuns might be forgetting is that their “bread and butter” comes from the Catholic Church, the very institution they’ve set about to bring “birth” to.

Damian found where Elizabeth Scalia has weighed in on this issue:

Elizabeth Scalia, writing in First Things, picks up on the email’s haughty self-regard, worthy of a Victorian Mother Superior:

Sister and her associates seem to have birthed a form of Religious Life that no longer receives “everyone as Christ” but parcels out the hospitality like upper-crust dames who will nod at the social climbers (and even condescend to having them to tea, if it will dispense with an obligation) but who will have the place fumigated once the undeserving have finally been shown the door. Sounds like she’ll count the teaspoons, too.

Indeed. And can you imagine anything worse than being herded into the “parlor” of one of these go-ahead nunneries, listening to Sister Sandra et al discuss carbon footprints, Native American prayer circles and the like? The tea would be of the tasteless herbal variety, too, and the coffee Fairtrade. The carrot cake might be good, though – and, I imagine, plentiful. My friend in San Francisco, Tim Perkins, has coined the term “activist butt” to describe the proportions of Left-wing lady protestors (many of them Sisters of Perpetual Indignation) in his neck of the woods. That’s not very gallant, I suppose – but no ruder than the things that used to be said about the splendid battleaxe nuns of the past.

“Activist butt” sums these nuns up to a “tee”.

by LBG

Hat tip: Damian Dewitt

Image - Nuns with rulers

Tags: nuns, U.S. Government, Vatican