Twin Cities nun on Pope Francis' legacy, hopes more women can rise in Catholic Church
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Pope Francis’ funeral is set for Saturday. Among those mourning the 88-year-old pontiff, who died Monday, are Catholic religious orders — communities of men and women with shared missions who take solemn vows and dedicate their lives to God.
Sister Carolyn Puccio, who got her habit more than 60 years ago, is a member and previous leader with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and Consociates in St. Paul and a former delegate for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Puccio joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer on Morning Edition Tuesday to reflect on the pope’s accomplishments and shortfalls, and her hopes for his successor.
The following has been lightly edited for clarity and length. Listen to the full conversation by clicking the player button above.
What did your order do immediately after the pope died?
Well, I think there was a sense of sadness and loss. And we have morning mass here at Carondelet Village at 9:30, and so we made the announcement, and people took time quietly, I think, to reflect and to just try to understand what this will mean. We will miss him terribly.
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What have you and your sisters been called to do during the nine-day novena?
I think we'll join in with whatever the church is asking to do. There are special prayers for someone who has died, special prayers for a pope who has died, and certainly we’ll participate in that. And I think a lot of personal prayer and a lot of personal reflection and gratitude for what Pope Francis was and gave to the world.
Francis called for a greater role for women in governing the church. What do you make of his actions?
Well, it's a mixed record, I would say. Many of us remember that interview with Norah O'Donnell on 60 Minutes when she asked if little girls could ever look forward to a time when they would be ordained? And he said, “No.” And that was a real disappointment to those of us who see that moving forward at a time when the gifts and abilities of women will be fully accepted and recognized and celebrated in the church.
However, in the document from the recent Synod, some interesting comments and paragraphs that give us great hope. It talks about the fact that discernment needs to continue on the role of women in the permanent diaconate. A very famous phrase that says there's “no reason or impediment” that should prevent women from carrying out leadership roles in the church. “However, women continue to encounter obstacles in obtaining a fuller recognition” of their roles in all the various areas of the church's life. So this gives us hope that the conversation will continue, and we pray that it will.
How does the Catholic Church’s leadership affect the work of its orders, like CSJ?
Well, simply put, there are what we call diocesan congregations and pontifical congregations. And the Sisters of St. Joseph are a pontifical congregation, which means the final word goes to Rome. And so we collaborate, cooperate and appreciate the leadership of the archbishops and bishops, and yet, in the final analysis, we are related directly to Rome.
Of course, we're women of the church, and of course, particularly with Pope Francis, we were so supportive and so appreciative of his joyful and delightful presence, of his strong prayer for the church for the world. The morning paper says he was the pope of everyone, and I think we could agree with that.
What are you and your sisters hoping for in the next pope?
It's a little hard to ever speak for the sisters. If you know the Sisters of St. Joseph, we're kind of an eclectic group, but I would say a huge majority hope that the new pope will carry on the efforts of Pope Francis. My personal hope is that he'll have a personality like Francis. I think for me, that's just as important sometimes as the pronouncements that a pope might make.