Hot on the heels of the liberal women religious orders thatreleased a statement yesterday in support of the anti-life health care bill, this statement was released today by the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (bold parts are mine):

In a March 15th statement, Cardinal Francis George, OMI, of Chicago, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, spoke on behalf of the United States Bishops in opposition to the Senate’s version of the health care legislation under consideration because of its expansion of abortion funding and its lack of adequate provision for conscience protection. Recent statements from groups like Network, the Catholic Health Association and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) directly oppose the Catholic Church’s position on critical issues of health care reform.

The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, the second conference of Major Superiors of Women Religious in the United States, believes the Bishops’ position is the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church.

Protection of life and freedom of conscience are central to morally responsible judgment. We join the bishops in seeking ethically sound legislation.

Mother Mary Quentin Sheridan, R.S.M.

President

On behalf of the Membership of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious

Circulate this to anyone you hear claiming “all the nuns support the health care bill.”

This point should also be made: contrary to nearly all the reporting, 59,000 nuns don’tsupport the bill. There are 59,000 religious women in the United States total (according to CARA), and not all of them are represented by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). It would be helpful to find out how many religious women are in LCWR and CMSWR.

CMSWER (the faithful women religious quoted above) represent 103 communities and 10,000 members. The letter released by LCWR (disagreeing on this issue) claimed 60 communities.

Read more at Catholic Vote Action

image Mercy Hospital, owned by the Sisters of Mercy (R.S.M.)