Women Commission seeks law to protect nuns

Disgruntled over the Women Commission's proposal restricting admission of girls to convents, Church officials reacted urging the commission to apprehend Church policies, before forming laws.

The Women Commission recently proposed that a law come into existence to restrain children below 18 years from joining convents.

Church Officials reacted in media statements saying, the law comes out of ignorance of Church's systems and laws.

Women Commission chairperson D Sridevi said, "parents who force their children who are not yet adults to nunnery in the churches in Kerala need to face legal action.” She said women who decide themselves to be Catholic nuns should be at least of 18 years of age.

Fr. Paul Thelekkat, the spokesperson of the Syro Malabar Church of Kerala, said the commission is unaware of the proceedings to be a nun. “No body in the Church can pronounce vows before the age of eighteen, not even a temporary vow in the church," he said.

The commission has also demanded that the convents provide rehabilitation facilities for nuns who leave convents. It suggested making legal provisions for nuns to own inherited properties and wealth in their own names.

Fr. Stephen G. Kulakkayathil, the secretary of the Kerala Regional Latin Catholic Council, said Church laws allow Religious to pronounce final vows only after eighteen years of age.

"Only after the school studies children are admitted to such a life, also with their full consent. The church also permits them to leave this kind of a life at any point of time during the training," he added.

Bishop Poulos Mar Milithios Bava of the Orthodox Church argues that vows of nuns before 18 are not accepted, and if it happens, it would only be with the permission of parents and themselves.

The Orthodox Church “does not ask for their inheritance. It is the free will of a nun if she wants to hand over her assets to the church,” he said.

Explaining the rehabilitation facilities the Church carries, Archbishop Mar Joseph Perunthottam said, “The little funds collected from the aspirants to religious life are spent on them alone. The aspirants are given their religious garb only after six years of rigorous training after they join."