Month: February 2023

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“Virginity according to the Gospel means renouncing marriage and thus physical motherhood. Nevertheless, the renunciation of this kind of motherhood, a renunciation that can involve great sacrifice for a woman, makes possible a different kind of motherhood: motherhood “according to the Spirit” (cf. Rom 8:4). For virginity does not deprive a woman of her prerogatives. Spiritual motherhood takes on many different forms. In the life of consecrated women, for example, who live according to the charism and the rules of the various apostolic Institutes, it can express itself as concern for people, especially the most needy: the sick, the handicapped, the abandoned, orphans, the elderly, children, young people, the imprisoned and, in general, people on the edges of society. In this way a consecrated woman finds her Spouse, different and the same in each and every person, according to his very words: “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). Spousal love always involves a special readiness to be poured out for the sake of those who come within one’s range of activity. In marriage this readiness, even though open to all, consists mainly in the love that parents give to their children. In virginity this readiness is open to all people, who are embraced by the love of Christ the Spouse.”- (“Mulieris Dignitatem (August 15, 1988), John Paul II

To pick up from where we left off last week, in evaluating this case, one must also consider that Sister Aloysius is not the only person claiming to care for Donald.  Additionally worthy of consideration is the way in which her actions conflict with the actions of those others, as well as the net outcome for Donald, and whether she can even be considered to be a one-caring despite her obligation, based on her motivation. Once again, the lack of clarity about Father Flynn’s true intentions as well as hers creates problems. For example, we do not know what happens to Donald after Father Flynn leaves, and if he graduates.

Would Sister Aloysius have followed through on the threat of her blackmail had Flynn refused to resign? As with deontology, because of this lack of clarity, it is difficult to assess what a reasonable care ethicist would or should have done in this situation, given that care ethics is even more open-ended than deontology. To establish her obligation, let us look at the factors which care ethics considers relevant, his level of vulnerability or dependency.  

Catholic nuns are to be care to all people they encounter, but one can infer that this applies to a particular degree due to the fact that Sister Aloysius is principal of Donald’s school, and not only has she taken vows to serve the church and Jesus, and one could argue that she is undermining the formal structures of the church, but keeping it safe from the influence of evil, as she would argue even outside of Donald’s case, but in her conflicts with Flynn in general, as well as what he represents. 

Returning to the concept of spiritual motherhood, most Catholic nuns cut themselves off from being the mother to just one specific child, but in exchange symbolically and in practice embrace a kind of holy and universal spiritual motherhood, with their row of chastity serving as a reflection of Jesus as their perfect spouse spiritually.

See you next week!

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At their next confrontation, Flynn tells Aloysius she has nothing more than unfounded suspicions, telling her that certainty is not truth, and she tells him that she has investigated his past and that she talked to a nun about his departure from his previous parishes. Flynn insists on his innocence but is angry and says Aloysius broke the chain of command. He threatens to remove her from the parish and confronts her about meeting with Donald’s mother. Aloysius demands Flynn ask for a transfer and take a leave of absence and that no more harm will come to Donald, clearly blackmailing him. That Sunday, Flynn delivers his farewell sermon, Donald Miller sheds a tear.  

A few weeks later, Flynn is gone, Aloysius says she is sure she did the right thing, while Sr. James is deeply troubled. Aloysius was disciplined for breaking the chain of command, and Father Flynn was promoted to a larger and more prestigious church. Aloysius admits to James she lied and that she never called a nun, but the lie would not have worked if Flynn had been innocent, and that his resignation from this church amounted to a confession, but Sister James says that she cannot believe she lied, and Aloysius repeats that “In the pursuit of wrongdoing, one steps away from God. Of course, there is a price.” Suddenly, Aloysius breaks down and cries. She admits that she has doubts, “such doubts” 

 

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Many of the questions surrounding Sister Aloysius’ alignment or lack thereof with Kantian ethics revolve around her motivation, despite her apparent emphasis on moral duty, (although it more closely resembles divine command theory). Is she using Donald’s case as a way to remove Father Flynn, who she dislikes and is a threat to her power, on many levels, not least of which being he is well liked and respected by all, in contrast to her reputation?

If so, is she doing so consciously or unconsciously? If she is not, and her sense of duty is genuine, in many ways, other than her several lies, blackmailing and threats she aligns very well with many of Kantian ethics general values and principles, including a sense of duty and the idea that certain actions are universally wrong, at least in theory, yet does not apply it to herself, which may be a point in favor of formulation one. Her execution is muddied and mediocre at best. Like most of the details around this case, it is difficult to make a concrete determination about the nature of her response, and how well it aligns, or deviates with from the viewpoint of Kantian ethics, and what this says about her response because although she spends much of the film defending her viewpoints, it is difficult to know how honest she is being about her motivations, which remain opaque. 

To properly evaluate Sister Aloysius under care ethics, because of the distinct nature of care ethics as a system, one must consider that none of Sister Aloysius’ actions in and of themselves count as deviations, but her relationship to Donald primarily. We will talk more about this next week.

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