The Catholic Bishop of Christchurch, Barry Jones, is opposing a visit by a controversial feminist nun from the United States.
He has written to priests saying that next week’s visit by Benedictine nun Sister Joan Chittister is unauthorised.
Permission for the event had not been sought or given, and Jones did not want it promoted through Catholic churches.
"The point is that silence generates the misunderstanding that this is all approved, when it’s not. I have made my position clear to the priests," he said.
Chittister, from Eire, Pennsylvania, has clashed with church authorities internationally over her strong stance on issues such as women’s ordination and contraception.
She attended the first Women’s Ordination Worldwide Conference in 2000, defying an order by the Vatican.
An independent group of Catholic lay people, the Adult Education Trust, has invited Chittister to Christchurch.
She will speak about spirituality, culture, justice and "God, women and the world".
Jones opposed the visit because he said Chittister did not agree with the Catholic Church’s teachings.
"I don’t see how I, as a bishop, can advance the teachings of the Catholic Church by appearing to condone other views," he said.
High-profile Sister Pauline O’Regan, of the Sisters of Mercy, backs Chittister’s visit and was surprised by Jones’s stance.
It is rather heartening that we are getting more and more stories like this.
"It sort of sounds like censorship, doesn’t it?" O’Regan said. "I think she has a very loving attitude towards challenging the church in matters where it needs to look at itself. She should not be feared. She’s a very, very spiritual woman."
Let’s see, a Bishop makes his view known and Chittister is still going to be speaking, so exactly how is that censorship? I guess a shepard crying out against wolves coming to devour their flock is also censorship. So I guess what she wanted was the bishop to shut up about this, and of course that wouldn’t be censorship.
"Sure, she challenges various things within the church, but then so do a great number of other people. Jesus challenged the leaders of his religious era," said O’Regan.
Yes when you can’t defend something that goes against the authority of Church teaching you say something like that. Jesus challenged those who diluted the scriptures and taught doctrines of men. Women’s ordination and contraception are settled teaching. When Jesus told the Apostles "He who hears you hears me" and gave Peter the power to bind and loose he meant this also for Sr. Chittister and those like her who consider disobedience to the Church a virtue.
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16 comments
“Jesus challenged the leaders of his religious era…” said O’Regan
What a cop-out! I wonder if O’Regan would like to explain exactly what Jesus challenged about the religions of his day! This kind of argument causes a great deal of confusion to those seeking the truth about what the Church teaches.
Yes, Jesus challenged the religious leaders of the day. But to the best of my knowledge He didn’t challange doctrine, He challenged the way that they had twisted doctrine to suit what they wanted to believe. Perhaps the person here who needs to be challenged is the sister in question.
“Jesus challenged the leaders of his religious era…” I wasn’t aware Sr Joan was a reincarnation of Jesus.:) Anyway didn’t Jesus teach:
�Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.’
Matthew 5:17-19
Her initials entitle her to challenge the teachings of the Church, maybe? 🙂 Well, that much is the same!!
Even if that DID mean something, and even if our teachings were (wow, that was a barely veiled accusation, come to think of it) Pharisaical,Jesus didn’t expect the Pharisees to invite Him to speak against them!
Yup, I think inviting the wolf in to lead the sheep away is the ridiculous welcome expected by Sr & Co.
So Jesus challenged the religious authority of His day.
JESUS CHRIST IS GOD AND CAN DO WHATEVER HE LIKES.
Last time I looked, Sr. Joan is not God. Or god. Or even goddess. (No matter what she thinks.)
Anyway, whether or not Jesus challenged religious authorites of His time (and really, does He have time?) is a moot point. The point is that if He did so, He had/has every right to do so. You know, being God and all that.
Right on, Soccer Mom!
Sadly, I have seen the acrimony that support for this nun can bring to a women’s bible study. Sister C’s views would make her a fine Luheran, but she doesn’t have the integrity to leave because then she would be ordinary and lose all the attention afforded a rebel.
I’ll admit, I just like the title of this post.
Whenever I see stories like this anymore (you’re right, Jeff, thankfully becoming more comon) I just wait for the “surprised” line. As in: “Regan was surprised…” I always get to LOL then. Its so funny to me that they’re surprised. Its kinda like saying a basketball player was ‘surprised’ when he was ejected from the game for throwing the ref to the ground. Or a student was ‘surprised’ when he was suspended for cheating on a test etc.
I’M the one who is always surprised that these ‘nuns’ are surprised by a bishop doing his job.
Did she take a vow of obedience?
If so, to who?
Sister Wear-the-pants and Fr. Prances-through-dew-covered-fields are getting gray and hunched. They are not immortal and their audience is aging with them. The younger generations have not been recruited to their way of thinking. The truth will prevail and they will be a footnote in the greatest story ever told.
Let’s ho;e that nuns and priests of that ilk will fade away and disappear. The young people that I see are not impressed. It seems to be the holdovers from the 60’s that invite them.
how is that censorship?
I see concerned parents accused of censorship when they write to TV networks asking that racy TV shows not be aired during family viewing hours, so I’m not terribly surprised in this era of “curtail no appetite” that the same is insinuated of a bishop expressing his professional opinion about something within his bailiwick.
Good thing that the Bishop is doing his job!
And thank goodness people like Chittister and her kind are getting older….and fading away!
“I guess a shepard crying out against wolves coming to devour their flock is also censorship. So I guess what she wanted was the bishop to shut up about this, and of course that wouldn’t be censorship.”
Touche’! Jeff, I appreciate the way you make the truth clear by using sarcasm to highlight the absurdity of that which is, shall we say, less than true. 🙂
sister chittister is quite the bs-er. i pray its not done to me accordning to HER will.