Well, Eliza, I think that many women religious have redefined their vow of obedience. They now see it as obedience to the common good of their religious community, and to their calling from God. Very few see it as a requirement to obey the hierarchical structure, especially when the hierarchy is wrong. I work very closely with three different orders of women religious (nuns, if you will). They are intelligent, wonderful, powerful women who are living life exactly as they want to live - in the service of God's people, living in community with women they have known and loved for decades. They're not going to let go of that and go back to a life of blind obedience.

This may be a very important move toward redefinition of the role of authority in the Catholic Church.

In my life as a Catholic, "obedience" and "authority" have no relevance whatsoever. Many Catholics are coming to share my view.

-Joe-