US Nuns vs the Vatican

The NY Times article “US Nuns Facing Vatican Scrutiny,” discusses the implications and possible reasons for the Vatican taking special interest in American nuns and ordering a confidential special investigation. “It’s an effort to bring about a re-establishment of a very traditional, very conservative set of standards for what convent life is supposed to be,” says one author who specializes in analysis of Church Doctrine. This special visit only focuses on nuns who live and work in society, not those in cloisters. After reading Moon, the distinction becomes clear: Nuns in society work in the political realm. If the political is truly seen as the antithesis of spirituality, these nuns are violating their contract with God and compromising their transcendence for earthly pleasures.

The nuns see it differently, however. As one nun and professor claims, “we’re living the life of total dedication to Christ, and out of that flows a profound concern for the good of all humanity.” Just as McFague calls for reform of church doctrine and metaphors, so too are the nuns reinterpreting their faith and calling, moving beyond isolation into careers in academia, healthcare and social work. This new faith allows them to enact change at a grassroots level and actively live the Gospel, rather than solely contemplating it.

Because of this, are these nuns truly not “living in fidelity” as the Vatican claims? Or, as McFague would argue, are they more spiritual by adapting to the changing communities around them? It is folly to assume that a nun without a habit is in some way fundamentally different and less committed to her calling that a nun in traditional garb. The same case can be made for nuns living in communities –namely that a nun’s location does not necessarily correlate with her devotion to God or his teachings. To further this argument, one must assume either of two things: One, that priests in congregations are less spiritual and holy than monks in remote cloisters or two, that women are truly less in God’s image and grace and must be kept cloistered away for their own spiritual benefit. If the first is true, the Vatican must increase awareness of priests and push for isolation for its entire religious clergy. If the second is true, than the Catholic Church is clearly supporting a doctrine of misogyny. Either way, this poses serious issues for the Catholic Church as a whole, already dealing with anti-patriarchical backlash and negative press.