Vatican stresses loyalty to church teaching to U.S. nuns

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican is stressing the need for American nuns to faithfully promote age-old church teaching following a high-level meeting over Rome’s recent crackdown on the largest umbrella group of U.S. sisters.

Sister Pat Farrell and Sister Janet Mock, respectively president and executive director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, met Tuesday with the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William Levada.

They came to Rome to present their concerns about the Vatican’s April decision to overhaul the LCWR, which Levada’s office accused of straying from church doctrine and promoting “certain radical feminist themes.”

The Vatican said the meeting was conducted in an atmosphere of “openness and cordiality.” But it stressed that the LCWR must promote church unity by stressing core church teachings.