US Vice President Joe Biden paid tribute to a group of US nuns criticised by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).
He was speaking at the start of the third "Nuns on the Bus" tour on Wednesday in Des Moines, Iowa, organised by members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.
The sisters began a 10-state tour with theme "We the people, we the voters" to promote voter registration and participation in the political process.
"With the vice president, we share faith and a commitment to democracy," said Sr Simone Campbell, a Sister of Social Service, who is the executive director of Network, a not-for-profit Catholic social justice lobby.
“You’re looking at a kid who had 12 years of Catholic education,” Mr Biden said on the steps of the Iowa Capitol in front of a “Nuns on the Bus” coach. “I woke up probably every morning saying: ‘Yes, Sister; no, Sister; yes, Sister; no, Sister.’ I just made it clear, I’m still obedient.”
To Sr Simone, Mr Biden said: "I want to thank you and all your colleagues for your commitment and fight for basic economic rights. It gives me renewed faith … It's been a great honour to work with Sr Simone over the years on so many critical issues."
To Sr Simone, Mr Biden said, "I want to thank you and all your colleagues for your commitment and fight for basic economic rights. It gives me renewed faith," he said on the steps of the Iowa Capitol. "It's been a great honour to work with Sr Simone over the years on so many critical issues."
Two years ago, the "Nuns on the Bus" tour began in an effort to discuss the ramifications of a budget proposal of US Republican, Paul Ryan, which they said would have hurt social service programmes that help the poor. Last year, the tour focused on immigration reform. This year, the focus is on voter registration. In the last eight years, there were 81 pieces of legislation in state capitols across the country that would have curtailed people's right to vote, Mr Biden said.
"The nation is strongest when everyone's voice is heard and everyone has a seat at the table," he added.
Network was specifically mentioned in the findings of a CDF investigation of the leadership of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which accused the nuns of being too focused on social justice issues and not sufficiently Christ-centred.
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