Pope Francis made a previously unannounced 15-minute stop September 23 at a Washington residence operated by the Little Sisters of the Poor, where he met with about 45 sisters. However, the Little Sisters argued that a letter would still violate their conscience because it would enable something they see as wrong to take place. They have pursued their cause against the government in court.
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Because his visit was so brief, the pope was not able to meet any of the home’s residents, Sister Constance said.
Donohue added: “Earlier in the day, Pope Francis spoke pointedly about the need to protect religious liberty”. Melinda Skea, a spokeswoman for the Becket Fund for Religious Freedom, which represents the Little Sisters in court and helped win the Hobby Lobby case, could not confirm the actual reason for the pope’s visit. In July, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit ruled that the nuns must comply with the contraception requirement.
The quiet show of support comes as Francis walks a political tightrope in Washington this week, speaking out on moral issues of concern to conservatives (abortion and religious freedom) and liberals (immigration and the environment) alike.
Pope Francis held a surprise meeting on Wednesday with the nuns who have become the face of a lawsuit challenging Obamacare’s contraception mandate – which his spokesman categorized as a “a sign of support”.
Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, president of the U.S. Bishops Conference, was pleased to hear of the Pope’s visit and commented on their current lawsuit.
“… As my brothers, the United States Bishops, have reminded us, all are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens, to preserve and defend that freedom [religious freedom] from everything that would threaten or compromise it”. “I thought he invited the whole nation to work for justice to lift up everyone and not just some in our society and that excites me very much”, said Sister Marilyn Pray. “They simply want to serve people who are poor and elderly, and they want to do it in a way that doesn’t conflict with their beliefs”. “You know, I’ve got to say, the Pope on this trip went and visited the Little Sisters of the Poor”.
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Sister Gertrude Lily, of Franciscan Handmaids of the Most Pure Heart of Mary in Harlem, said, “The pope has recognized the grace of God working in the American nuns”.
