Pope Francis reconfirms directive to American nuns

Nearly a year after the Vatican announced a makeover of the largest umbrella group for American nuns, Pope Francis has directed that the overhaul of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious continue.

The decision could bring an end to Francis’s honeymoon with the many American Catholics who had viewed the crackdown on nuns as heavy-handed and unnecessary.

Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, who heads the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, met April 15 with the LCWR’s leadership for the first time since Francis’s election on March 13.