Author: J Gopikrishnan
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: June 10, 2008
Commission objects to bequeathal of adolescent
girls' properties to Church
A major controversy has erupted in Kerala
with the State women's commission asking the CPI(M)-led Government to enact
a law barring appointment of girls under 18 years of age as nuns by churches.
Accusing the Church of "brain-washing adolescent girls" to accept
"sisterhood", the commission has called for protection of their
property rights.
The issue has brought the Church and the State
Government face to face, with the clergy launching a 'crusade' against the
women's commission. The Congress has sided with the Church and dubbed the
commission's recommendation "anti-minority".
The recommendations, mooted by KWC chairperson
Justice D Sreedevi, include banning the entry of girls below the age of 18
into convents, penal provisions for parents and/or persons forcing the girls
into sisterhood, ensuring that the property rights of girls appointed by convents
are protected and re-habilitation of those withdrawing from 'sisterhood'.
The other recommendations which irked the Church are preventing the bequeathal
of nuns' properties to the Church and provisions for retrieval of such properties
as and when nuns decide to quit the convent.
The Church has vehemently opposed the KWC
move and described the recommendations as a "thoughtless process".
It was allowing only girls above 18 years of age as nuns, it clarified.
"The commission's remarks have hurt the
sentiments of the community of nuns and priests, who have been serving the
society irrespective of caste and creed for centuries," said the Major
Archbishop of Syro Malankara Catholic Church in a Press release. He said that
the commission should have studied the issue before commenting on it. "According
to our canon, no person can become a priest or nun without attaining 18 years
of age. However, prescribing an age limit for a person interested in priesthood
would be a breach of individual freedom," he said.
"As a matter of fact, no woman can be
a nun before the age of 20. Then too, a person takes temporary vows initially,"
Rev Dr Babu Jospeh, spokesperson for the Catholic Bishop Council of India,
said.
But the KWC chairperson refutes the arguments.
"I have seen a lot many incidents to the contrary and received several
complaints. I agree that a girl becomes a nun only after 18 or 20. My objection
is against the recruitment of poor girls at the age of 12 or 13 by providing/promising
free education, accommodation and offering money to their parents," Justice
Sreedevi told The Pioneer over telephone from Thiruvananthapuram.
"The girls are being moulded or brainwashed
at a tender age to accept the life of nuns. This is not fair. How can a parent
decide the fate of his daughter without her consent? I am not against any
religion. I am here for social justice and empowerment of women," argued
Justice Sreedevi.
While the Church denied appointing under-18
girls to the convent, it stoutly defended the property right provisions. "As
regards the right to family property, first of all it is the prerogative of
parents to bequeath their property to their children. As per the Church rules,
the share of property given to a religious person becomes the property of
the organisation he/she belongs to.
This is so because of (a) a religious person
voluntarily renounces the right to individual ownership of property at the
time of becoming a permanent member of a religious congregation; (b) a religious
person is entitled to all the legitimate rights within the religious congregation;
and (c) in a religious congregation all properties are held in common,"
said Rev Dr Babu Jospeh.
"It would have been highly desirable
had the Kerala Women's Commission ascertained all the right information regarding
the Church's practices and then made its recommendation," he added.
However, dissenting notes were heard from
within the community. Joseph Pulikunnel, who has been campaigning for reforms
in the Catholic Church, termed the commission recommendation "a landmark".
He said there were cases of girls below 18 years of age, especially those
from poor families, who had been forced to join convents. Then, he added,
there had been instances of nuns who left convents after some years and failed
to get back their family assets. He chose to describe the commission's recommendations
as an issue of human rights rather than that of religion.
To get the early-bird advantage, the Congress
spared no time in reacting. State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala slammed
the KWC recommendations as "anti-minority" and demanded the ouster
of Justice Sreedevi. Reacting to the Congress' allegation, Justice Sreedevi
said she was sad about the stand of political parties "who are supposed
to lead the moves ensuring social justice and empowerment of women".
"Such parties should look at their past
and glorious deeds of their predecessors in a bid to achieve social justice.
But now all of them are looking for vote banks. Anyway, I am committed to
my point and there's no going back," she added.
Major provisions in the recommendation
* Ban the entry of under-18 girls to convents
* Prosecute parents/persons forcing girls
to become nuns
* Protect the family share of girls who become
nuns
* Nuns' properties should not be bequeathed
to churches
* Rehabilitate girls who leave churches
