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The American bishop who conducted a Vatican-ordered assessment ofthe Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) has vigorouslydefended the results of that study, and the Vatican s decision toundertake a major reform of the group. Writing in his diocesan newspaper, Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo,Ohio, said that many media comments on the Vatican announcementhave been characterized by distortions and misrepresentations ofthe facts. Bishop Blair emphasized first that the Vatican decision, announcedby the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), was not anegative judgment on the work of women religious in the US, butsimply a judgment about the LCWR, a particular organizationrepresenting the leaders of many religious orders. The biggestdistortion of all is the claim that the CDF and the bishops areattacking or criticizing the life and work of our Catholic sistersin the United States, he wrote. The bishop went on to say that the Vatican s concerns about theLCWR involved problems of doctrine and discipline, not engagementon social issues. Regarding his own involvement in the process,Bishop Blair objected to the use of the term investigation todescribe his study. He explained: Investigation suggests an attempt to uncover things that mightnot be known. In reality, what the CDF commissioned was a doctrinal assessment, an appraisal of materials which are readilyavailable to anyone who cares to read them on the LCWR website andin other LCWR published resources. Bishop Blair went on to cite several specific cases in whichspeakers at LCWR events, or the group s written literature,indicated clear deviations from Catholic doctrine: A keynote speaker at a LCWR event observed: It can no longer betaken for granted that the members [of a given congregation] sharethe same faith. Another keynote speaker noted, without any indication ofdisapproval, that some women religious were moving beyond theChurch, even beyond Jesus. Yet another keynote speaker observed tha the Vatican claims thatGod taught women cannot be ordained. That god is literally unbelievable, the speaker said. It is a false god; itcannot be worshiped. Bishop Blair questioned whether it is appropriate for the LCWR agroup that operates with the official recognition of theVatican to provide a forum for such dissent: Serious questions of faith undoubtedly arise among some womenreligious, as the LCWR maintains. However, is it the role of apontifically recognized leadership group to criticize and underminefaith in church teaching by what is said and unsaid, or rather towork to create greater understanding and acceptance of what theChurch believes and teaches?. I am an expert from wire-cabletray.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China Warehouse Storage Racking , Wire Mesh Products Manufacturer, Wire Cable Tray,and more.
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