Paprocki on Panel to Review Nuns' Leadership Group
By Steven Spearie
Springfield Bishop Thomas John Paprocki is one of three U.S. Catholic bishops tapped to address what the Vatican says are "serious doctrinal problems" in views espoused by the leadership body representing the majority of the country's nuns. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, founded in 1956, represents 83 percent of the nearly 56,000 women religious in the United States. Its leader, in a speech in 2007, talked of some religious "moving beyond the church or even beyond Jesus" — a statement Paprocki described as "pretty radical." The delegation of bishops, appointed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith after a four-year review, will be led by Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartain, who served as bishop of the Joliet diocese from 2006 to 2010. Paprocki, who has been bishop of Springfield since 2010, was tapped for his acumen in church law. The third member is Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo, Ohio, who carried out the original inquiry. The Springfield Dominicans and Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, both of which have motherhouses in Springfield, are members of LCWR, and Sister Rebecca Ann Gemma, a Springfield Dominican, is regional chairwoman for District 8 of LCWR. Several members of both orders declined to speak about the matter. 'No easy task' Paprocki said Monday he learned of his appointment in February when he was in Rome for his "ad limina" visit, which includes a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. "I guess it was complimentary in a way, that they must have confidence in my canonical ability," said Paprocki. "It will be no easy task, however. "My initial reaction was that I was given a cross to carry, but if that's what they wanted me to do, I'd do it." According to an eight-page summary issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the three bishops are to: * Revise LCWR statutes "to ensure greater clarity about the scope of (its) mission"; * Review LCWR plans and programs, including its publications, to ensure that the scope of its mission "is fulfilled in accordance with church teaching and discipline"; * And review LCWR's association with organizations like NETWORK, a Catholic organization involved in education, lobbying and organizing around economic and social justice issues. Paprocki said the directives are "narrow and focused." Beyond Jesus? Last week's summary of the four-year Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith investigation gave few specific examples of how LCWR allegedly has dissented from church doctrine, but did cite an address given five years ago by Sister Laurie Brink, a Sinsinawa Dominican, at an LCWR General Assembly. In her talk, "A Marginal Life: Pursuing Holiness in the 21st Century," Brink, a professor at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, talked about some religious "moving beyond the church or even beyond Jesus." The report called her statement "a source of scandal and incompatible with religious life." "That's a pretty radical statement," said Paprocki, adding that such a view might be "incompatible with Christianity." "This (report) is not an indictment of sisters across the board," Paprocki said. "Certainly not all sisters believe that (statement), and not all members of LCWR believe that. "The concern is that the statement went unchallenged. For her to put something like that out there, even to define it as 'theologically speculative ...' There was no response. The criticism she gave, it was as if LCWR agreed with it." Paprocki said he's read many articles dealing with the fallout of the CDF report, articles often accompanied by "nuns in habits" stereotypes "that are misleading or outdated." Paprocki said he doesn't know how efforts to re-form LCWR will fly canonically, given that organization was set up by and is responsible to the Holy See. "If you took a survey of LCWR individuals, my guess is that the vast majority haven't moved beyond Christ or they wouldn't be nuns," said Paprocki. "My hope is that this wouldn't be a problem for them. "If it is, it says something else." *** Areas of concern In 2008, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith noted three major areas of concern that prompted an assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious: * Addresses at LCWR assemblies -- Addresses have "problematic statements and serious, even theological doctrinal errors." * Policies of corporate dissent -- CDF had received letters from "leadership teams" of various congregations, protesting the Holy See's actions regarding "women's ordination and of a correct pastoral approach to ministry to homosexuals." * Radical feminism -- Prefect of the CDF, Cardinal William Levada, noted "certain feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith in some of the programs and presentations sponsored by LCWR." -- Source: CDF Summary *** Paprocki on the rise? A national writer close to the U.S. Catholic Church says Bishop Thomas John Paprocki's inclusion in a delegation appointed by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith "cements his place as a rising star" in the U.S. hierarchy. Rocca Palmo, who blogs "Whispers in the Loggia," which says it covers "a wide range of Church gossip and news," said Paprocki will be the point person on canon law for the three-bishop delegation. "(Paprocki) is wildly sharp, legally and pastorally," said Palmo from his home in Philadelphia. He noted that Paprocki recently completed his chairmanship of the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. *** On Bishop Jenky Peoria's Catholic bishop, Daniel Jenky, has sparked criticism by equating President Obama's policies on contraception coverage with Hitler's attacks on religious freedom in Nazi Germany. But Jenky's April 14 homily at St. Mary's Cathedral, which has gained national attention pro and con, raises some valid points, said Springfield Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, particularly regarding First Amendment rights. Jenky said Obama is following a "radical, pro-abortion and extreme secularist agenda." A recent Department of Health and Human Services mandate has sounded an alarm for what the government can tell religious-based organizations, Paprocki said. "I am concerned about the slippery slope," said Paprocki. "If they can force private insurance plans to cover contraception, they're not far from telling (Catholic) hospitals that they have to do abortions." Contact: spearie@hotmail.com
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