October 3, 2012      Martin Mallon  (Ireland)      Martin's previous articles

Vatican & Religious: going backwards or forwards?

In the September 30 edition of Independent Catholic News we read that Archbishop Joseph Tobin, who is Secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in the Vatican and is a former Superior General of the Redemptorist order, spoke to a Conference on Religious Life at Heythrop College in London .  

In the article the Archbishop points out that since Vatican II religious life has changed because “this Council was the first to describe a theology of religious life rather than simply treating it as a set of rules. The emphasis in religious life had shifted from rule and observance to Gospel and community.”  

However, the article continues:  

During discussion, a sister said: “we are at a divisive moment in the life of the Church” as some seem intent on going back to rule and observance. In response, Archbishop Tobin said that the Church does not go backwards but that there was a need to consider how best to move forwards.  

This is a very encouraging and hopeful statement from the Archbishop and let us hope he can encourage others in the hierarchy with the same attitude to be more forthcoming. However, he does appear to be overly optimistic as the evidence to date would suggest that the current administration in the Holy See does appear to be intent on going backwards, as demonstrated by the new translation of the Mass and the Apostolic Visitation to investigate the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in the USA .

The investigation into the LCWR really flies in the face of the Archbishop's statement that "The emphasis in religious life had shifted from rule and observance to Gospel and community.” In this case it appears "rule and observance" is favoured as opposed to "Gospel and community".