According to the Vatican today, Pope Francis has announced his support for Pope Benedict's overhaul of the largest group of U.S. nuns last year.

This group of nuns, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, had hoped that Pope Francis, a Jesuit who champions social outreach to the poor, would mirror their own beliefs and not follow his predecessor. That will not happen.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious represents around 57,000 sisters, which constitutes 80% of all U.S. nuns. They have been outspoken about their disapproval of certain church doctrines and have aligned their behavior and community outreach accordingly.

This group of nuns has been viewed by the Holy See as too radical in recent years, focusing too much on issues of social justice and not enough on church initiatives such as anti-abortion campaigns. The nuns have also been accused of supporting "radical feminist themes" that are not in line with the Catholic Church's values.

Leaders of the conference met with the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Gerhard Mueller for the first time since he was appointed to the position in July. Mueller informed them that he had met with Pope Francis, who had decided to uphold Pope Benedict's reform plan.

"We pray that these conversations may bear fruit for the good of the Church," the conference said on its website.

Initially, Pope Francis's succession of Pope Benedict was applauded by many of the nuns that belong to the conference. Francis has been characterized as someone who wants to focus on giving back to some of society's poorest, an initiative that many of the nuns have already undertaken with their hospitals, schools, and soup kitchens.

As part of the reforms upheld by Pope Francis, Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartain and two other bishops will oversee a rewriting of the conference's statutes. They will review its plans and programs, approve speakers, and make sure that proper prayer and ritual is observed. The conference has said they will be cooperative with Sartain, but refuse to compromise their core values.