The Holy See is investigating American apostolic women's religious orders. The sister in charge is herself American.
The article claims the investigation of American nuns "surprised many because there was no obvious precipitating cause." Yet it goes on to offer that the practice of Reiki may have had something to do with it. Reiki is a form of witchcraft popular among religious sisters. It might also have had to do with a plea from women religious that greeted the pope when he visited to U.S. for the ordination of women. Anyone who's even got a cursory knowledge of American female religious orders in the last 40 years together with a knowledge of what Catholicism really is will recognize why this investigation is not only justified, it's long overdue.
A sister (from UC Bezerkely, natch) quoted by the article laments, "They think of us as an ecclesiastical work force. Whereas we are religious, we're living the life of total dedication to Christ, and out of that flows a profound concern for the good of all humanity. So our vision of our lives, and their vision of us as a work force, are just not on the same planet." Hate to tell you this but every Christian should be living a life of total dedication to Christ with a profound concern for the good of all humanity. Not that I'd classify some of these folks as Christians.
Strangely, the procedure for the investigation as articulated by the article is so benign one can hardly believe they come from this pontificate. "Each congregation of nuns will be evaluated based on how well they are 'living in fidelity' both to their congregation's own internal norms and constitution, and to the church's guidelines for religious life." In other words, are you doing what you've publicly committed yourself to do, and are you following the organizational rules of the church for religious orders? You'd think you'd asked them to immolate themselves. People who work in the corporate world are asked to follow corporate policies and organizational directives. Yet no one screams bloody murder over this. Why should it be any different with religious orders?
This will be difficult, though, as religious orders have been left to their own devices for too long. They've become incorrigible. I should like to see how this investigation turns out.
