Saturday 13 August 2016



Excerpts of the article of Megha Varier (The News Minute 8th August 2016)
"Sr. Mary filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission and Women’s Commission alleging that she was facing physical and mental harassment at the hands of her superiors. But after she approached Women’s Commission, the Church, she alleges, has found new ways of taunting her. – Megha Varier
Sr. Mary approached the Church to grant her 3 years of exclaustration ( Exclaustration is official authorization for religious bound by perpetual vows to live for a limited time outside their religious institute, usually with a view to discerning whether to depart definitively.) that allows a nun to stay outside the convent as a common citizen and return to the convent after the designated period.
However, she was denied permission as the Church feared that granting her this would encourage other nuns to follow suit.
When the Church deliberately delayed the proceedings, Sr. Mary approached the Kerala Catholic Church Reformation Movement, an organization that works for rehabilitation of ex-priests and ex-nuns. Matters went haywire after the organization intervened.
Renji Njellani, organizing secretary of KCRM ( Kerala Catholic Church Reformation Movement), points out that any priest or nun who wishes to quit the Church is entitled to be given money according to the canon law. The Church refused to pay the sum of Rs.30 lakh that Sr. Mary demanded and offered to pay Rs.1 lakh, after months of negotiation.

Sr. Mary’s decision to leave the Church citing harassment is not a unique instance. Only a few years ago, Sister Jesme, who had been a nun for over 33 years, quit the Church alleging harassment by her superiors. Her leaving and the subsequent release of her autobiography Amen: The Autobiography of a Nun (Malayalam PDF) had created a huge controversy at that time. Sr. Abhaya’s murder, in which priests are the prime accused, is yet another example of how things are not exactly holy in the Church."
The Church, in question, is fabulously wealthy with about 4.5 million members, and thinks it can do exactly as it pleases outside the law as a minority religious institution.
As the Church identifies its founder as the apostle St Thomas, then its bishops might reflect on the claim that Thomas was executed by a Persian king for his practise of black magic, brazen forging of accounts, and cruel ill-treatment of women he had enticed away from their families (as recorded in the Acts of Thomas).
Try to compare our Sanaathana dharma and realise its greatness. Any religion without a strong foundation can not sustain too long. once the ripples are started and the bubbles start bursting the water will not take time to evaporate.

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