SISTER MARY PRUDENCE ALLEN, DIRECT AND TO THE POINT. Kathryn Jean Lopez conducts a marvelous interview in which Sr. Prudence talks about topics ranging from what a normal day is like for a sister – disciplined and devoted, as you might expect, with about 3-4 hours of prayer daily – to the health care bill to the to the scandal in the church.
Sr. Prudence is unequivocal and articulate, gently skewering solutions to the latter that she perceives as poorly thought out. Her response to the suggestion that the Pope might resign is priceless:
LOPEZ: In case you haven’t been watching MSNBC, as I have, you should know that the pope may resign and that he is akin to Richard Nixon, caught in crimes and cover-up. Aren’t you ashamed at all to be a part of an institution that has such a scandal-rich contemporary history, which it still hasn’t cleaned house over?
SISTER PRUDENCE: The statement in the first sentence reveals such a lack of knowledge and understanding of the Church and of our present Pope that it does not merit a response. The Church is not just another human institution, but one instituted by Jesus Christ.
Although off the mark, the second question is more approachable. You ask about shame and being ashamed to be a part of an institution. An analogy might be useful here. Consider other kinds of institution, such as we find in sports, academia, businesses, etc. If one person in that institution is accused of doing something wrong — an athlete, say, or a university president, or a businessman — should that imply shame on the part of all who participate in the sport, study at the university, or invest in the business? Rather, it would likely evoke the passion of sorrow for the one who has strayed and for the people who have been wounded by his or her straying. A further analogy can be drawn from these examples. Should a sport, university, or business be judged on the basis of one of its members who does something poorly or wrong? Shouldn’t we rather try to judge the sport, university, or business by the best examples associated with it? Thus, shouldn’t the Church be evaluated more by its saints, such as Mother Teresa, and the many others who through it have done so many works of charity through the years?
In another question, Lopez refers to “one prominent reporter” who simply declares that the Church needs more women. I think I know who she’s talking about.
Sister Prudence also has some insight and advice applicable to those of us, left and right, who tend to get all caught up in politics:
…the mind receives according to the mode of the receiver. If the mode of the receiver is a political feminist ideology, then that is how he or she will perceive the Catholic Church…[later] If you are seeking to understand and report the truth about something, you should read the original sources, interview trusted people, ponder what you find, develop a hypothesis, test it out, and reformulate it. Always seek greater accuracy, and always maintain gentleness (truth persuades by its own gentle power) and love for the good reputation of everyone.
