An umbrella group of Catholic nuns has asked the Vatican to disclose why the group is being investigated and who is funding the probe. It has also questioned why the sisters will not be allowed to see the final investigative report submitted to church leaders.
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), which met from Aug. 11 to 14 in New Orleans, pledged to cooperate with a Vatican investigation of the sisters’ fidelity to Catholic doctrine on female ordination, homosexuality and the role of the church in salvation.
A separate Vatican investigation, announced in January, aims to take a broader look at nearly 350 communities of women religious in the United States, examining everything from finances to how leaders deal with sisters who dissent from Catholic dogma.