Archbishop Joseph Tobin, the secretary of the Congregation for
Religious is offering strong criticism of the atmosphere surrounding the
Vatican’s apostolic visitation of institutes of women religious in the
United States.
The comments by Archbishop Tobin reinforce the perception that the
Vatican investigation, which was once seen as a serious challenge to the
policies and directions of some American religious orders, is now
unlikely to call for major changes.
Cardinal Franc Rodé, then prefect of the congregation, announced in 2009
that the apostolic visitation would “assess and constructively address”
concerns about the welfare of active women’s religious communities in
the United States.
Archbishop Tobin was named secretary of the
congregation in August 2010, and Archbishop João Bráz de Aviz was
appointed prefect in January 2011 upon Cardinal Rodé’s retirement.
Since his appointment, Archbishop Tobin has clearly signaled his
sympathies for American women's religious leaders.
He underlined that
stand in his latest comments to the Catholic News Service.
“I believe a visitation has to have a dialogical aspect, but the way
this was structured at the beginning didn't really favor that,” the
archbishop said. “Part of the real harm done at the beginning,” he said,
was Cardinal Rodé’s decision that individual communities would not have
the opportunity to read the reports that visitors were to submit to the
Vatican.
The archbishop suggested that American women religious who help govern
their communities in Rome should assist the Congregation in evaluating
the visitation reports on individual communities.
That suggestion could
lead to a new conflict, however.
Individual women religious were
permitted to speak with apostolic visitors in confidence, on the
assumption that any critical comments would not be read by their
superiors or other community members.
If that confidentiality is now put
aside, nuns who were critical of their overall direction of their
communities may find themselves in an uncomfortable position.
Archbishop Tobin indicated that he was sympathetic toward the leaders of
women's religious communities who felt that they were being accused of a
lack of orthodoxy or obedience to the Church. He said that the Vatican
is now working to restore their confidence.
“The trust that should characterize the daughters and sons of God and
disciples of Jesus isn’t recovered overnight,” Archbishop Tobin added.
“I think women religious have a right to say, ‘Well, let’s see.’”
Archbishop Tobin directed his most pointed criticism towards “canonical
advisors” who “exploited” rumors that some communities might be
dissolved or be given new leadership.
“It’s like Fox News: they keep people coming back because they keep them
afraid,” he said.
“But certainly, on our side of the river or our side
of the pond, we had created an atmosphere where that was possible.”