Liberal Nuns
By JAMES K. FITZPATRICK Like most Catholics who grew up in the middle years of the 20th century, I have a difficult time figuring out the endgame of the nuns in groups such as Network and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). (I am going to use the term “nun” in what follows as it is used colloquially, even though some may object that it applies only to women religious who live cloistered lives.) The modern liberal nuns are a mystery to me, poles apart from the Dominican sisters who taught me in grade school. In fact, it seems to be a high priority of modern liberal nuns to make sure that we understand that new reality.