Silver Spring, MD-(ENEWSPF)- The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), which represents 80 percent of the Catholic sisters in the United States who have been under scrutiny by Rome, released the following statement regarding the announcement that Pope Benedict XVI will resign his office effective February 28, 2013:
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) thanks Pope Benedict XVI for his many years of tireless service to the Catholic Church and for the contributions he has made as a theologian, as the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and as pope. We respect his integrity in making what must have been a difficult decision to resign and promise him our prayer as he prepares to leave the papacy. May he be richly blessed for his profound dedication to the service of the Gospel.
