I am most definitely not a nun, but I have left the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) for the TEC. Why doesn't the TEC do more outreach to Roman Catholics who are discourage by the path the RCC is taking?

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, originally known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition, is treating the religious women of the Roman church like children. In its usual patronizing manner, the Vatican says, 'We know best what God wants, so we will take charge.' This is quite sad. Women religious include some of the best minds in the church, and their ministries are quite often examples of living the Gospel.

The powers in RCC are hunkering down and attempting to stifle dissent in an alarming way. I fail to see how they think this interference is good leadership or that anything good will result from it.

June Butler

Is anybody really surprised by this? It's just Rome being Rome.

Re to Mr. Pagano: Perhaps TEC could set up some sort of special "ordinariate" so the former RCs can keep their liturgical customs, etc. No, I don't see TEC being that arrogant and condescending.

-Cullin R. Schooley (Former Roman Catholic)

"The report from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the organization faced a "grave" doctrinal crisis, in which issues of "crucial importance" to the church, such as abortion and euthanasia, have been ignored."

Translation, "The women are not doing what the men are telling them to do"

Either one or two main things are happening here, either they truly believe that the RCC is the one true church and therefore won't leave no matter what, or they don't want to leave to go to a communion that is constantly fighting.

Very few things are either/or.

I think that they are in hopes of sticking it out and one day reforming the church that they love.

Bro David

I didn't even bother mentioning that possibility, which is why I said "the main reasons, not the 'only'". Only the return of Jesus would "reform" the RCC in my most honest opinion.

Well, as TEC recently let a congregation of women religious depart, en masse (w/ property) for the RCC, maybe they'd return the favor?

[I kid, I kid. Don't see it happening, "while the Lord tarry" and all (see, Nicole, we agree on something! ;-p)]

JC Fisher

I never said we couldn't shouldn't, or wouldn't.

I agree that Episcopalians should reach out to the disenchanted Romans in this country. However we really can't lose sight of our policy: "Thou shalt not fish in thy neighbor's pond." It's OK to sit on the beach...

As the Great Litany from 1544 says,

From all sedycion and privey conspiracie, from the tyranny of the bisshop of Rome and all his detestable enormyties, from all false doctrine and heresye, from hardnes of hearte, and conmtempte of thy worde and commaundemente:

Good lorde deliver us.

Gary Paul Gilbert

Perhaps they thought "The Three Stooges" was a documentary?

I had the privilege to be educated in part by Roman Catholic religious, and later worked with some of them on community things in the past.

There are so many Roman Catholic religious who are bright, gifted, people of faith, and highly committed to the the poor and vulnerable. They are applying a strong feminist critique of The Church, and it is this latter level of engagement that has put them in cross hairs of Vatican bureaucrats.

They are not going anywhere soon, and the Vatican will find it has its hands full on this issue.

As for Anglicans who wonder if these women religious might come our way, be careful what you pray for. I'm not sure we would be ready should those prayers be answered.

Hi Rod, I am curious about your last sentence. Would you care to go into more detail?

Re my last sentence, its a cautionary note. Some of the Roman Catholic women religious communities have a well defined and well articulated feminist tradition which they have brought to bear on the institutional church. These same communities also have a very active prophetic ministry grounded in Catholic social teaching.

Anglicans could learn a lot from these women about the need to balance charity with social justice. We need to be more critical about what we have to offer others, and more open about what we might learn from others. I don't see Anglicanism, for example, as a hot bed of feminist activity.

You're right,Rod. I do see it happening sporadically here in TEC but not with a serious emphasis on it.

I don't see why we expect disaffected Catholics to seek out The Episcopal Church, because on the ground Catholicism and Anglicanism can feel more different than they look. I propose that The Episcopal Church instead look into helping establish a worthy counterpart to the Old Catholic Churches as they are in Europe, instead of the mish-mash, garage churches (sometimes deeply associated with Theosophy of all things!) that carry this lineage on this side of the Atlantic. This would seem to be more suited to the needs of refugee Catholics.