Sister Agnes Mary Monsour was appointed by Governor James Blanchard (D) in 1982 to head Michigan’s Department of Social Services (DSS)…. [Man, is it hard to research pre-internet stuff on the internet :) – the DSS is now called DHS]
She attained some national attention because of the DSS pays for abortions, and she refused to try to stop that. Her Bishop demanded she step down, which she refused.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,923370,00.html
http://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/08/us/nun-defies-archbishop-on-medicaid-abortions.html
Ulimately, Rome told her she had to leave the DSS job or leave the Order of Mercy. She kept her DSS job. The emmisary from Rome who delivered the ultimatim was Cardinal Josef Ratzinger. Pope John Paul II, being a strong anti-Communist worked very hard to purge the “progressives” from the Catholic Church. Ratziner went on to become Pope Benedict XVI
Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame BIo
She died in 2004….
The point of this (to the degree there was a point) is that Glenn Beck may have walked right into the middle of a civil war in the Catholic church and reopened some old wounds. Bill Press is probably not a big fan of the current Pope….
