BAN ON SISTERS IS NO WAY TO RUN THE CHURCH

Like many Catholics, I was
saddened and angered by the news in today's Herald that the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in Rome has ordered
Sydney's Sisters of Charity, peremptorily and without discussion, to
abandon their involvement in the proposed legal heroin injection room.
At one level this is another instance of the powerlessness of women in
a male-dominated church, but in fact males would have been treated
equally badly, since the CDF thinks it is its job to run the church.

In fact, as any theologian will tell you, the church is properly ruled
by its bishops, among whom the Pope, as bishop of Rome, has an
important role as the touchstone of unity, but not as a chief
executive officer. And if it is not the Pope's job to run the church,
it is certainly not that of the CDF.

This being so, is it not the proper role of Cardinal Clancy, as the
local Ordinary, to protect his nuns, and to reject the suggestions
(can they really be orders?) of the CDF? What harm could come to the
nuns if, with the Cardinal's blessing, they were to ignore the order
and go ahead with the room?

Could they be excommunicated over a difference of opinion on
propriety?

If, however, such a course of action by the Cardinal is unthinkable, I
wish someone would explain why.

Max Kelly,
St Ives