American Nuns Honor Pro-Abortion Cokie Roberts as Vatican Investigation Continues

Lifesitenews ^ | August 13, 2009 | Kathleen Gilbert

[Pope Pius XII]

While American Catholic nuns continue to undergo scrutiny from a Vatican investigation, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) invited Cokie Roberts, a political commentator who has criticized the Church's prohibition against abortion, contraception, and homosexuality, as the keynote speaker for their annual meeting this week. Another Catholic group, Supporting Our Aging Religious (SOAR), has announced it will host a dinner in honor of Roberts and her husband Steve in November of this year.

New Orleans native Cokie Roberts spoke at the LCWR summit in the same city Tuesday, according to a Times-Picayune report.

Cokie Roberts, a Roman Catholic, is an ABC News political commentator and National Public Radio senior news analyst who has spoken out against laws restricting abortion. Roberts characterized the partial-birth abortion ban as "cynical game-playing" by pro-life activists, and said she found it "offensive as a woman" that the Supreme Court upheld the ban in 2007.

[al_c]

They are not helping the investigation by this move.

[kabar]

Cokie Roberts, a Roman Catholic

How can she be called a "Roman Catholic" when she doesn't believe in the tenets of the church?

[JPG]

Cokie doesn't believe that a living fetus is a gift from God but rather an inconvenient tissue mass that can be destroyed at will. Shame on her and those of her ilk.

[La Lydia]

Do they really think they can be of help to the aging religious by joining a secular “death squad” that supports the slaughter of babies? Nuns, or anyone else, who advocate abortion are no longer Catholics. For shame. I hope the Vatican has the strength of purpose to deal with this sternly. (Oh, dear. I realize I am starting to sound like Sister Monica, who was my second grade teacher, and who has to be rolling over in her grave at this turn toward the dark side so many Sisters appear to have taken.)

[hinckley buzzard]

These particular groups love to preen and pat themselves on the back as courageous elements in the church, "speaking truth to power." Too bad they forgot somewhere along the line who the real Power is and that He is the author of Truth, not them.

[bboop]

‘Found it offensive as a woman’ — is anyone else sick to death of people being ‘offended’ by this and that? What a great way to keep people from speaking out. I keep thinking, however, about the Playground Rules — if you don’t like it, lump it; and sticks and stones can break my bones. (And of course Kindergarten Babies, born in the Gravy).

Just BE offended, ok, and have your thin skin, but don’t make it MY problem.

[Hildy]

I haven’t seen Cokie Roberts for years..didn’t even know she was still active.

[Never on my watch]

Some of these so-called “Nuns” would be Pagan Preistesses if they Wicca provided free food, lodging and healthcare.

And I have no doubt that some are Wiccans.

[Never on my watch]

Hey Cokie and “nuns”,

In what trimester would it have been OK to abort Jesus?

Just wondering...

[Coyote Choir]

It is just a guess, but I bet the leadership inviting Roberts is dominated by aging Boomers who are still trying to live out being The Wild Ones with the rest of our generation. I ( a convert) have noticed from reading the blog of the Anchoress that the younger generation of nuns in growing groups around the country seem to be more conservative and more deliberately Catholic, so the Vatican’s task in dealing with the American nuns could be complicated. The solution for a patient Church could be simple though: wait and let the Boomer generation die out while encouraging the support of deliberately Catholic and faithful communities. Time has been a good companion to the Church over the centuries on its journey. We appear and disappear, and the Church travels on.

[NYer]

LifeSiteNews.com) - While American Catholic nuns continue to undergo scrutiny from a Vatican investigation, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) invited Cokie Roberts, a political commentator who has criticized the Church's prohibition against abortion, contraception, and homosexuality, as the keynote speaker for their annual meeting this week.  Another Catholic group, Supporting Our Aging Religious (SOAR), has announced it will host a dinner in honor of Roberts and her husband Steve in November of this year.

New Orleans native Cokie Roberts spoke at the LCWR summit in the same city Tuesday, according to a Times-Picayune report.

Cokie Roberts, a Roman Catholic, is an ABC News political commentator and National Public Radio senior news analyst who has spoken out against laws restricting abortion.  Roberts characterized the partial-birth abortion ban as "cynical game-playing" by pro-life activists, and said she found it "offensive as a woman" that the Supreme Court upheld the ban in 2007.

In a 2006 column, Roberts also ridiculed bishops who proclaim the Catholic Church's teaching against contraception and homosexuality.  "It's as if they are asking to be ignored," she wrote.  Roberts also attacked Pope Benedict XVI as "really lacking in the theological virtue of charity."

Ironically, LCWR's president indicated discussion at the four-day summit would likely focus on the apostolic visitation Rome initiated earlier this year, which will examine the orders' work and life in light of authentic Catholic Church teaching.

LCWR president Sister J. Lora Dambroski indicated that the leaders had closed ranks in reaction to the visitation, and might issue an official rejoinder.

"This will be an opportunity to be who we are and to speak our truth, not to back away from that, and to understand what our common response will be," she said. "It's a good chance for the sisters to be honest and to tell the story of who we are without fear." 

While "we don't want to be in a defensive posture," said the nun, "we have to clearly be who we are."

In addition, the non-profit organization Save Our Aging Religious has announced that its next event will be a Washington D.C. benefit dinner on November 7 to honor Cokie and Steve Roberts with their Elizabeth Ann Seton Award.  SOAR is chaired by D.C.'s Monsignor John J. Enzler.

To respectfully express concern:

Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.
Most Reverend Donald W. Wuerl
P.O. Box 29260
Washington, DC 20017-0260

Rev. Adam Park
Secretary to the Archbishop
301-853-4500

Rev. Msgr. John Enzler
Vicar for Development
301-853-4375

Support Our Aging Religious
900 Varnum Street, NE
Washington, DC 20017
phone: 202-529-7627 o 800-403-7627
fax: 202-529-7633
email: info@soar-usa.org

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

U.S. Feminist Nun Urges Liberal Religious Orders to Resist "Hostile" Vatican Visitation

Catholic Ping
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[the invisib1e hand]

How can she be called a "Roman Catholic" when she doesn't believe in the tenets of the church?

Because the Church is the authority on who is Catholic. If she was properly baptised, then she's a Catholic, just the same, as Archbishop Dolan would say, as is her parents' daughter.

***

Now then. Isn't she the notorious plagiurist, or was that somebody else?

[kabar]

Because the Church is the authority on who is Catholic. If she was properly baptised, then she's a Catholic, just the same, as Archbishop Dolan would say, as is her parents' daughter.

She should be excommunicated if she objects to the tenets of the church. I guess the better question is why is she calling herself a Catholic.

She was not the plagiarist. You may be thinking of Dorthy Kerns Goodwin.

[the invisib1e hand]

no, it was a bigger name than that. Are you sure it wasn’t her?

[kabar]

YES.

[the invisib1e hand]

Apparently it never happened. The search results for the terms “npr plagiurist” have apparently been saturated with new context, effectively burying any older references.

[DieHard the Hunter]

I don’t understand. How can this Cokie Roberts be a Catholic if she is in favor of abortion? And even more ponderous is why would American Nuns honor her?

Isn’t that... irregular??

Why would this be somehow better than a Catholic being a Freemason? (punishable by excommunication if I recall correctly)

[Pyro7480]

Are you still thinking about becoming a Catholic? If so, what are you doing about the Freemason thing?

[Natural Law]

Unlike the positive experiences of my youth my recent encounters with American Nuns has been very disappointing. I don't know at what point in the last 40 years it happened, but feminist theology has largely supplanted Catholic dogma in many orders. I have personally witnessed this manifest itself in the curriculum of too many Catholic schools.