Pope Francis backs reining in U.S. nuns
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican said Monday that Pope Francis supports the Holy See’s crackdown on the largest umbrella group of U.S. nuns, dimming hopes that a Jesuit pope whose emphasis on the poor mirrored the nuns’ own social outreach concerns would take a different approach from his predecessor.
The Vatican last year imposed an overhaul of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious after determining the sisters took positions that undermined Catholic teaching on the priesthood and homosexuality while promoting “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.” Investigators praised the nuns’ humanitarian work, but accused them of ignoring critical issues, including fighting abortion.
The Vatican crackdown unleashed a wave of popular support for the sisters, including parish vigils, protests outside the Vatican’s embassy in Washington and a U.S. congressional resolution commending the sisters for their service to the country.
Following Francis’ election, several sisters had expressed hope that a Jesuit pope devoted to the poor and stressing a message of mercy rather than condemnation would take a gentler approach than his predecessor, Benedict XVI.
- The Associated Press
Rules loosened on missionary e-mails
SALT LAKE CITY - The Mormon church’s strict rules about e-mail communication for missionaries have been loosened a bit to allow them to send e-mails to friends, priesthood leaders and new converts.
Previously, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionaries could e-mail only immediate family members, though they’ve always been allowed to send written letters to friends and others.
Church spokesman Eric Hawkins said Wednesday that under the new rules missionaries must get permission from their mission president before sending e-mails to converts or people of the opposite sex. And they are still restricted to sending e-mails through the church’s filtered e-mail service and on the designated preparation day each week.
The missionary handbook shows that the rules stem from the expectation that missionaries are to devote all their time and attention to “serving the Lord, leaving behind all other personal affairs.”
Missions are considered rites of passage for many Mormons.
In October, the church lowered the minimum age for missionaries: from 21 to 19 for women and from 19 to 18 for men.
- The Associated Press
Book of interviews of pope out April 30
NEW YORK - A book of interviews with the future Pope Francis will be coming out in English at the end of the month.
Pope Francis: Conversations with Jorge Bergoglio is scheduled for release April 30, G.P. Putnam’s Sons announced Thursday. The book, an international best-seller published in Spanish in 2010, includes the Argentine’s thoughts on everything from his childhood and civil unions to the military dictatorship of the 1970s and ’80s in his native country.
The interviews were compiled by journalists Sergio Rubin and Francesca Ambrogetti.
The former Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio was chosen last month to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, who became the first pope in 600 years to resign.
Putnam is an imprint of Penguin Group (USA).
Religion, Pages 14 on 04/20/2013