Catholic ex-priests, nuns to meet in Kochi

A 101-member committee, comprising former priests and nuns, has been formed for organising the conference.

Kochi:  Catholic priests and nuns who have left their ministerial in the Church will meet in Kochi in late February demanding social acceptance and protection, in what is possibly a first.

A Syro-Malabar Catholic Church spokesperson welcomed the move but said there was no provision to pay maintenance to former priests or former nuns.

"Hundreds of priests and nuns have left priesthood and nun-hood as they feel stifled in their pursuit of truth. But sad to say, they are left to Nature's mercy without their families or the society for support. And with no monetary backing either, they lead a miserable existence," said Reji Njallani, the convener of the February 28 event.

The "national seminar" is being conducted under the auspices of the Kerala Catholic Church Reformation Movement (KCRM), an organisation of faithful based out of Pala in Kottayam district. KCRM state secretary-general K.K. Jose Kandathil told The Telegrapha 101-member reception committee had been drawn up with ex-priest K.P. Shibu Kalamparambil as the vice-chairman.

"Canon law requires the Church to pay such people who decide to quit so that they can take care of the rest of their lives. But this does not happen and instead they are treated as sinners," he said, adding the point of the convention was to find a solution to such problems.

Shibu said the Church must discuss the problems of ex-nuns and ex-priests, find ways to support them, “allow the priests to marry as this will check sexual indiscipline to a large extent and fix a five-year term for the nuns so that they can decide whether to continue in service or choose their own path."

The convention will also draw up plans for a retirement home where nuns and priest who bow out of their order "can rest for six months or so till they can find an alternate vocation to carry on with their lives", he added.

Shibu left the Vincentian congregation in 2010 after published his "experiences" as a book, Here is the Heart of a Priest, which came to be widely discussed.

Reacting to the event, Syro-Malabar Church spokesperson Pautl Thelakat told Telegraph newspaper: "Priests who have left priesthood and nuns who have left the convents are faithful to the Church. The Church considers them dear to the Church. It is always good that they flock together and think together their own issues as well as the matters of the Church as responsible members of the Church and help the Church in whatever way they still can."

On the demand for giving them maintenance, he said: "As I understand, when a priest is in the period of suspension on enquiry, they must be maintained by the diocese or congregation concerned. But when they are laicised, there is no such provision."

Source: New Indian Express