A Reader Responds

Thanks to Tom White for reading MOJ--and especially for his response below to my post.  It's clear where I stand on the issue of the "visitation":  with Sr. Sandra Schneiders and Sister X, among others (including my Aunt Betty, who is a Dominican sister).  I have nothing to say that they haven't already said, much more personally and eloquently than I could.

Anyhow, here is Tom's response:

I 'm puzzled by the reaction of Professor Perry and others like him to the apostolic visitation of institutes of women religious.  I am curious to know his views on the following questions:

1.  What obligation, if any, does the Catholic "patriarchy" have when faced with groups such as the Leadership Conference of Women Religious whose members purport to have moved "beyond Jesus" and the Church?  http://www.lcwr.org/lcwrannualassembly/2007assembly/Keynote.pdf

Apart from the obvious scandal (in the sense of endangering other souls) involved when a religious publicly embraces what can only be called apostasy, it strikes me as an act of great charity on the part of people like Cardinal Rode (and others in the "patriarchy") to  make an effort to bring them back into communion with the Church.

2.  Assuming some obligation exists, what objections do you have with the manner in which the Cardinal has sought to solve the problem?  I'm not aware of any criticism of the way in which Mother Clare, the nun that Cardinal Rode appointed to conduct the visitation, has handled it thus far.  But maybe you or others have.