U.S.: Girl-scouts Come under Scrutiny of Bishops
By Maria Teresa Pontara Pederiva
Sister Viviana Ballarin had reiterated only a week ago how women are still an unresolved issue in the Church. In an interview with the daily Il Messaggero, the president of the USMI (Union of Major Superiors of Italy leading over 70.000 religious women in the country) declared: “The so-called feminine genius is a gift to society and the Church, but very often people fear what is different, because for many it represents not so much a source of wealth but actually a threat and I believe that this is the main reason why in the Church often confrontation with what is considered different is avoided”. Fr. Armando Matteo entitled his last book La fuga delle quarantenni (The flight of 40 year old women - Rubettino publishing, 2012) and perhaps in a few years women in the Church, and not only those ordained as nuns, could become a rarity. The latest sign of this tendency emerged the day before yesterday. The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith led by cardinal Levada, already archbishop of San Francisco, established compulsory administration measures for LCWR (Leadership Conference of Women Religious), the USMI’s American counterpart. There have protests from all over the US by those who know the work of the sisters in the most diverse fields. “I side with the nuns” declared the famous Jesuit and journalist James Martin, and his words have become a slogan. Two days ago another blow came, which may prove fatal. News circulated on the web that the Girl-Scouts, the female scout organization, which in the US is separate from the male one, is under investigation by the American bishops, led by the bellicose cardinal and Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan. The headlines of Associated Press read “This is a joke, right?” Apparently not, the news seems to be true. And deep down the reasons behind this attack are the same as those that have got the nuns in trouble: an insufficient amount of reading and promotion of the Church's social doctrine on the matters of sexual education, abortion and ban on contraception. Basically the Girl-Scouts, like the nuns, are not committed Pro-Life activists and this is not acceptable according to the priests, especially at a time like the present with the electoral campaigns for the presidential elections in November. Politically speaking, in America, like in Europe, the scouts can hardly be defined as conservative. This is even shown by the fact that another ad hoc movement was formed a few years ago for the children of stricter and more observant believers. The Girl-Scouts are against war and death penalty, they promote the protection of the environment and welcome everyone. The movement has lately appeared very open and would not refuse anyone, so much so that they have often been target of attacks by more conservative people. A recent occurrence took place in Colorado where they allowed a 7-years-old transgender child to enrol, sparking great controversy. But Girl-Scouts had been criticized before in Alaska and Indiana after some of them took part in television shows and did not sufficiently promote the Catholic social doctrine concerning sex and abortion. The enquiry will be carried out by the Episcopal Commission on the laity, marriage, family and young people led by Kevin Rhoades, bishop of Fort Wayne in Indiana. The irony is that this year is the 100th anniversary of the organization, which began in 1912 and this fuels even more the girls’ frustration. Michelle Tompkins, spokeswoman for the Girl-Scouts declared “there is an overarching sadness”. The organization estimated that one fourth of their 2 million members (already a drop from over 3 millions in the 70s and 80s) is Catholic. Some would like the Girl-Scouts webpage not to host the link to Medecins Sans Frontieres, since, for example, the organization supports family planning and contraception also as a preventative measure against HIV. Similarly, others would like the Girl-Scouts not to be connected to the UN health program , especially to the brochure Healthy, Happy and Hot which contains advice for a safe sex life. They have also been accused of reading the American version of Marie Claire magazine, instead of Catholic publications…So far the Girl- Scouts website does not show anything on the matter. Now we must wait and hear what the bishops will say at the end of their enquiry. 14.05.2012
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