Pope crackdown on nuns in US continues. Why?

[theHandpuppet]

11. Pope Francis is throwing nuns under the bus for sharing his own beliefs

Pope Francis is throwing nuns under the bus for sharing his own beliefs
The pontiff's silence, while nuns are censured for not focusing on abortion and same sex marriage, speaks volumes
Sadhbh Walshe
Thursday 8 May 2014

In the earliest days of his tenure, Pope Francis became one of the world's most admired religious figures – due in large part to his vocal support and actions on behalf of social justice. So, to many Catholics, there is more than a little disappointment that he is turning a blind eye to the Vatican's ongoing crackdown on America's nuns.

The really disheartening thing about the pope's unwillingness to end the nuns' censure – indeed, about his unwillingness to openly support them – is that his stated values are no different than the ones the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is being punished for carrying out...

...At the very least, women in the church – and women everywhere – should not have to question whether a pope who can speak so eloquently about the scourge of inequality is incapable of recognizing the very unequal treatment of women and men by his own church. Last year, 60 Minutes compiled a comprehensive report on the Vatican's standoff with the nuns. Among the many issues raised in the segment, the program noted the incongruity of the women's alleged doctrinal misdemeanors being treated as a "crisis" that required swift action, while it took decades for the church to seriously address the infinitely more serious crimes of pedophile priests – about which the Vatican only this week began issuing comprehensive data. For example, in 2007, when the church finally faced up to the sex-abuse scandal and began making reparation payments to victims, some archdiocese tried to evict nuns from their convents to fund the out of court settlements...

...Whatever this week's censure of nuns – who are in trouble precisely for stressing social justice issues over abortion, gay marriage and birth control – says about the pope's dedication to his stated mission, one thing is more clear than ever: if the church continues to pressure an already-dwindling population of nuns to abandon its social justice work, Pope Francis may undermine his own agenda, just as much as some power players at the Vatican hope to undermine the nuns on and off the bus.

MORE at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/08/pope-francis-nuns-catholic-crackdown