Fear of Feminist Nuns

By Fredrika Thelandersson

It turns out Sister Maureen Fiedler was right in her article "Bad Habits?", which appears in the latest issue of Ms., now on newsstands. She presumed that recent investigations of U.S. nuns by the Vatican are fueled by attempts to root out feminist beliefs.

Now the Vatican itself is confirming this suspicion: In an interview on Vatican radio November 4, Vatican official and head of the investigations, Cardinal Franc Rodé, bluntly admitted that a “certain feminist spirit” is one of the reasons behind the investigations of U.S. nuns.

In other news related to the sisterhood, a Dominican nun in Chicago was reprimanded by her order for supporting abortion rights. Although Sister Donna Quinn has fought for decades for women’s right to use contraception, end unwanted pregnancies and seek ordination, she is just now being rebuked for escorting patients into an abortion clinic in a Chicago suburb.

Dominican leaders have come to Quinn’s defense in the past when the Vatican has urged religious orders to dismiss all nuns not complying with the official Catholic stance on abortion. The recent rebuke suggests that U.S. women religious’ communities are under high pressure due to the ongoing investigations.

Fiedler, however, does not fear the investigations or its reprimands, saying it’s no secret that there are feminist nuns: “Of course, lots of us nuns are feminists—because the gospel calls us to that! It was Jesus, as I recall, who broke all kinds of gender taboos in his day, treated women as equals and commissioned Mary Magdalene to preach the Resurrection to the community.”

To support U.S. nuns, you can sign this Catholics Speaks Out petition affirming nuns’ important work in the face of the Vatican’s chilling investigation. It will run as a full-page ad in The National Catholic Reporter  in December 2009.
 
For the complete Ms. article on the Vatican investigation, “Bad habits,” look for the Fall issue of Ms. on newsstands now, or have it delivered to your door by joining the Ms. community.