Support of U.S. Sisters

A couple weeks ago the Vatican attacked American nuns for spending too much time working to help the poor and fight poverty, rather than attacking same-sex marriage. The criticism, considered formal disciplinary action against the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) which represents over 55,000 nuns in the United States, was labeled as “grave and a matter of serious concern” that nuns are not sufficiently denouncing abortion, Obamacare, and women’s ordination.
Consequently, there has been a ground swell of support in the United States for Catholic sisters:

1. The Nun Justice Project, a group of Catholic justice organizations working to support the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), is planning a series of weekly candlelight prayer vigils across the country this month, with confirmed in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and Boston.

2) NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote a powerful article on April 29th entitled “We Are All Nuns”. Read it here!

3) Parishes throughout the country are speaking out. At St. Andrew Catholic Church in Portland, Oregon, Fr. Leo Remington, the celebrant, opened the prayers of the faithful with the following: "For women religious in the U.S. and throughout the world, in thanksgiving for their service to the church and world, may we stand in solidarity with them during these turbulent times, we pray."

4) And soon the following ad will appear in the National Catholic Reporter. An email is currently circulating requesting signatures from people who stand behind U.S. Sisters.
HONOR CONSCIENCE.
DEFEND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.
STAND WITH AMERICAN NUNS.
As people of faith, we reaffirm our love and gratitude to the thousands of women religious in the United States who have stood with and served the poor, healed the sick, sheltered the homeless, accompanied immigrants, taught our children, sought peace instead of war. By their many good works and adherence to Christian principles, U.S. Sisters have kept the church from moral bankruptcy. 
Yet today, these women and their communities have come under fire by the Vatican’s actions against the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) for their humanitarian stance on a variety of issues, including universal healthcare, the role of women in the church , the LGBT community, and economic justice. In the spirit of Vatican II, we lay claim to the belief that “the church is all of us.” We are all made in the image and likeness of God. Authentic religious freedom supports the free exchange of ideas, and the primacy of conscience in pursuit of the Common Good. 
We lament the Vatican’s effort to foreclose dialogue and to impose their authority on women religious and the broader community. We reject some Bishops’ claim to be the ultimate authority and sole arbiters of truth. History has documented the fallibility of all human institutions, including the Roman Catholic Church. We are deeply concerned by the timing of these actions and the perception they create: namely that the Vatican and U.S. Bishops are seeking to limit discernment and manipulate the upcoming political elections in the United States to advance a narrow political agenda. Our democracy was founded on the principle of the separation of Church and State.

Our church was founded on the principles of love, forgiveness and communion.
We invite all within and outside the Roman Catholic community to express support for our Sisters and their good works in service to the poor and for a more just, compassionate and humane world. We call upon our leaders – especially religious leaders -- to stand with our Sisters. We pray for the courage to live by the gospel invocation to “Do Justice, love kindness, walk humbly with our God. “ (Micah 6)

For more information and ways to get involved visit:
http://ncronline.org/SistersUnderScrutiny
To sign this ad, please email your name, address, phone number to jartiga@share-elsalvador.org before May 15th when it will be published!

To help defray the $2700 cost of the ad, please make a donation online at www.share-elsalvador.org. Click on the orange “Donate” tab in upper right hand corner; then click “donate on line;” scroll down, fill out the information, and click on “program designation” Support Our Sisters/NCR Ad.

Or send a check to SHARE. Make your check payable to: SHARE Foundation/Stand with the Sisters. Mail to: 2425 College Ave., Berkeley, CA, 94704

Please consider offering your support to these selfless women who have tirelessly dedicated their lives to serving others!

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