To the Point
The Vatican, American Nuns and the Politics of Healthcare Reform
A leadership group of American nuns supports President Obama's healthcare reform , even though the US Conference of Bishops call it a threat to religious liberty. Now the nuns say they're "stunned" by blistering criticism and threats of de-certification by the Vatican for what it calls "doctrinal problems" and "radical feminist themes."
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readA leadership group of American nuns supports President Obama's healthcare reform, even though the US Conference of Bishops call it a threat to religious liberty. Now the nuns say they're "stunned" by blistering criticism and threats of de-certification by the Vatican for what it calls "doctrinal problems" and "radical feminist themes." When they went to Rome to confront Cardinal William Levada, the former Bishop of San Francisco, who's leading the the crackdown, he called it a "dialogue with the deaf." But the nuns aren't backing down. Are American Catholics caught in a battle between religious obedience and partisan politics?
Warren Olney
former KCRW broadcaster
Anna Scott
Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter
Christian Bordal
Managing Producer, Greater LA
Gideon Brower
Independent Producer
John Allen
Boston Globe
Sister Simone Campbell
NETWORKLobby member; leader of Nuns on the Bus
Stephen White
Ethics and Public Policy Center