Sister Donna Markham, right, speaks to reporters while Sister Mary Pellegrino, left, looks on as other members of The Leadership Conference of Women Religious attend The 2012 Assembly Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012 in St. Louis. The largest U.S. group for Roman Catholic nuns meet to decide how they should respond to a Vatican rebuke and order for reform. The LCWR, represents most of the 57,000 American nuns.ST. LOUIS – American nuns described as dissenters in a Vatican report that ordered an overhaul of their group said Friday they will talk with church leaders about potential changes but will not compromise on the sisters’ mission.
Sister Pat Farrell, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, called the Vatican assessment of the organization a “misrepresentation.” But she said the more than 900 women who attended the group’s national assembly this week decided they would for now stay open to discussion with three bishops the Vatican appointed to oversee them.
“The officers will proceed with these discussions as long as possible but will reconsider if LCWR is forced to compromise the integrity of its mission,” Farrell said at a news conference, where she declined to discuss specifics.
The organization represents about 80 percent of the 57,000 Roman Catholic nuns in the U.S.
The St. Louis meeting was the group’s first national gathering since a Vatican review concluded the sisters had “serious doctrinal problems” and promoted “certain radical feminist themes” that undermine Catholic teaching on all-male priesthood, birth control and homosexuality. The nuns also were criticized for remaining nearly silent in the fight against abortion.