Nun assessment was needed

Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to have an assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious is not an attack on our sisters. The leadership of the LCWR has been controlled for many years by radical gender feminists and continues disseminating statements in dispute with Catholic doctrine. In many cases, these emanations are not in concert with the thinking of the vast majority of the sisters themselves.

It is noteworthy that while the LCWR claims to represent 80,000 nuns, only 3 percent of the nuns actually belong to it. So, the Vatican is correctly asking why the LCWR is not in conformance with our Catholic faith.

As a practicing Catholic, I expect the Vatican to assess the LCWR as it had to come down on other religious orders that crossed the line. I join with others in their appreciation of the Catholic sisters for the works they have performed throughout the years. Getting the LCWR in line with our Catholic faith will relieve confusion and bring everyone back into the fold. No organization has been more harmful to the vitality of the Catholic sisterhood.

Eugene P. Cunneely

Spokane