Your support of LCWR, Elizabeth Johnson delivered in Rome
Kate, an organizer for the NunJustice campaign delivered your signatures in support of women religious on Friday. During LCWR's national conference, over 17,500 people from across the country signed a letter to Pope Francis demanding he lift the mandate.
"Catholics all over the world support LCWR in their commitment to stay at the table with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and address the unjust mandate it issued in 2012," said Kate. She delivered the letter and signatures, as well as a Spanish language copy of Elizabeth Johnson's book Quest for the Living God, to the offices of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Another copy was mailed directly to Pope Francis.
The letter asks Francis to remove the mandate and issue a public apology to Sr. Elizabeth Johnson. "On numerous occasions you have expressed a desire to expand leadership opportunities for women. We respectfully suggest that the place to begin is to listen to faithful women who are already exercising leadership in the Roman Catholic Church," reads the letter. A second copy was also addressed to the head of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life which has authority to regulate religious orders like those investigated under the mandate.
At the LCWR assembly last month, Sr. Elizabeth described the frustration of those who support women's leadership, "When the moral authority of the hierarchy is hemorrhaging due to financial scandals and many bishops who … cover up sexual abuse of children, a cover up that continues in some quarters to this day, and thousands are drifting away from the church … the waste of time on this investigation is unconscionable." We are proud to stand with women religious and speak out against sexism in our Church, and we hope the Pope will read the book we delivered and take notice of the thousands of Catholics who stand with the sisters!
