NEW YORK
Grand Island Independent
NEW YORK (AP) — Pope Francis made a rousing show of gratitude for American nuns on Thursday while thanking clergy for persevering through the priest sex abuse scandal, seemingly intent on moving the U.S. church beyond recent crises.
The pope called religious sisters “women of strength” and “fighters” who had a “spirit of courage” as they served at the forefront of the church.
Six months ago, Francis abruptly ended a contentious Vatican overhaul of the leading umbrella group for U.S. nuns that had started under his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. The Vatican accused the Leadership Conference of Women Religious of straying far from church teaching, which the nuns denied, and overemphasizing social justice over abortion. The sisters received a wave of popular support, including parish vigils, protests outside the Vatican embassy in Washington and a congressional resolution commending the sisters for their service to the country.
“To you, religious women, sisters and mothers of this people, I wish to say thank you, a big thank you and to tell you that I love you very much,” Francis, an Argentine, said in his native Spanish, to applause from worshippers in an evening prayer service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
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