The Vatican has ordered an overhaul of the largest U.S. nun group, accusing it of taking feminist and liberal stances incompatible with the Catholic Church.

In a recent assessment, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the position of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious on issues such as homosexuality and euthanasia were not aligned with church teaching.

It has appointed U.S. Archbishop J. Peter Sartain to oversee the organization and review its activities and practices.

In a statement Thursday, the Leadership Conference said that it was stunned by the assessment, saying it has had yearly meetings with the Vatican orthodoxy group and follows church-approved statutes.

Sister Annmarie Sanders, the group's Communications Director, told VOA they will make plans to move forward after meeting of its board next month.

The Maryland-based group represents more than 80 percent of the 57,000 women religious ((sisters and nuns) in the United States.