Vatican ends controversial investigation of U.S. nuns with olive branch

David Gibson

(RNS) The Vatican on Thursday (April 16) officially ended a controversial investigation of American nuns with a face-saving compromise that allows Pope Francis to close the book on one of the more troubled episodes from the pontificate of his predecessor, Benedict XVI.

“We are pleased at the completion of the (investigation), which involved long and challenging exchanges of our understandings of and perspectives on critical matters of religious life and its practice,” Sister Sharon Holland, president of the leadership network of nuns that had been under investigation, said in a statement released following a meeting in Rome with the Vatican’s top doctrinal officials.

“Through these exchanges, conducted always in a spirit of prayer and mutual respect, we were brought to deeper understandings of one another’s experiences, roles, responsibilities, and hopes for the church and the people it serves,” said Holland. “We learned that what we hold in common is much greater than any of our differences.”

http://www.religionnews.com/2015/04/16/vatican-ends-controversial-investigation-u-s-nuns-olive-branch/