Lack of empowerment among Catholic nuns remains a major concern for the Church in India, says the president of Conference of Religious India.

Although there has been much work generating awareness in the Church about women’s rights, “we have a long way to go in realizing” systemic changes, Montfort Brother K.M. Joseph said.

Many nuns do not receive the necessary skills or academic training to cope with the demands of missionary work, he said on Jan. 12. As a consequence, many languish as domestic workers in their congregations and male Religious institutions.

“Dynamics of change in this sector are slow and difficult,” he added.

The brother was airing his concerns in an address to the general assembly of the Catholic Council of India, the Church’s top representative body in the country.

Some 250 people representing bishops, priests, Religious and laity from India’s 160 dioceses attended the Jan. 9-12 meeting in Nagpur, Maharashtra state.

Brother Joseph said the CRI has been working for a “gender empowered church” and as part of it a series of training programs were organized.

“We were happy that this became a national agenda” and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India took up the issue of empowerment of women.

”Lots of conscientization has taken place in the Church and church-related institutions. But we have a long way to go in realizing tangible results. Systemic changes are still a dream. Either the leaders must act or popular pressure must be built up to break the mindsets,” he said in the written presentation.

As society continues to have a bias against women “the situation of religious sisters in the Church institutions continues to be a matter of concern,” the president of Religious said

Areas that need to be addressed include respecting the dignity of women, appreciating their consecration as religious, acknowledging their service to the mission, justice in the form of decent remuneration, he said.

India has some 100,000 nuns, “more than 80 percent” of the Religious in the country. However, majority lack proper education and training, said Brother Joseph.

Due to the “perceptions and belief system of the past a large number of them have not been given skills training and proper academic education, to cope with the demand of missionary initiatives,” he regretted.

Source:  Religious head urges greater empowerment for nuns (UCAN)

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