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One more Catholic moment in history…
ANITA CASPARY, 95, NUN WHO BROKE WITH ROME
Well you know this item would catch my attention. It appears
that Dr. Anita Caspary (Sister Humiliata) was a mother superior (Sisters of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary) who led the largest (300 nuns) exodus of nuns (1970)
from the Catholic Church in American history.
This must have been one strong female…
The schism, we are told was because of dress codes and
bedtimes. On the one hand we had a strong female nun that bought into the Vatican
II enlightenment which gave nuns more control over their own lives.
On the other hand we had, by all accounts, a most rigid
cardinal named Archbishop James Francis McIntyre of Los Angeles who basically
said of the Vatican II changes: NOT IN MY DIOCESE.
He adamantly refused to let the nuns teach without wearing
their habits and demanded that they adhere to traditional regimens governing
when they prayed, when they went to bed and what books they were allowed to
read.
He obviously did not give a shit about Vatican II
pronouncements even though most other dioceses in the nation adopted Vatican II
reforms.
I feel bad for Dr. Caspary because she could not turn to
anyone for help dealing with the intransigent cardinal, not even to the Vatican
The treatment of women as second class citizens (serve,
don’t speak) by the Church is very well documented and continues to this very
day. To be fair, the Church is not alone in their paternalistic behavior; it
still is the rule in most of the world.
Dr. Caspary was undoubtedly caught up in the spirit of
Vatican II and the general liberation spirit of the 1960s so she would not kowtow
to something she knew was wrong, unfair and demeaning…
That is why I support efforts by Catholics like those in the
AMERICAN CATHOLIC COUNCIL who realize that after the priestly sex scandal among
many other scandals, the leadership of the Church must change in some fashion
and the case of Sister Dr. Caspary is a perfect example.
The Vatican
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