Amen - an autobiography of a nun by Dr Sister Jesme

A book written by a former nun is threatening to embarrass the Catholic Church in Kerala. is written by former nun Dr Sister Jesme and threatens to reveal what allegedly happens behind the closed doors of convents. The book claims that harassment and sexual repression take place in convents. “I wanted an outlet for my trauma. It'll help me start my second life afresh. The society has the right to know what's happening to the sisters,” says Dr Sister Jesme. Sister Jesme was the principal of St. Mary's College in Thrissur till she quit the congregation last August alleging harassment from superiors. The church in turn has labelled her mentally sick. “Thirty-three years cannot be penned down in 180 pages but there are points the I want to make about the capitation fee, the quarrels that happen within the church, about the homo-sexuality, the hetero-sexuality,” says Jesme. The book comes soon after the Central Bureau of Investigation booked two priests and a nun in the high-profile sister Abhaya murder case. The state women's commission now says it will take up Jesme's case very seriously. “We are studying the matter and will take it up seriously. I cannot tell you anything more on this issue,” says State Women Commission Chairperson, Justice Sree Devi The Catholic Church in Kerala is silent on the book and in an election year, political parties too would be cautious about raising these allegations. More Born C Meamy Raphael, Jesmi writes in her autobiography that she got her first rude shock when she was a Novitiate. ''At a retreat for novices, I noticed girls in my batch were unsettled about going to the confession chamber. I found that the priest there asked each girl if he could kiss them. I gathered courage and went in. He repeated the question. When I opposed, he quoted from the Bible which spoke of divine kisses,'' she writes. Her second shock was from an ordained nun. ''I was sent to teach plus-two students in St Maria College. There, a new sister joined to teach Malayalam; she was a lesbian. When she tried to corner me, I had no way but to succumb to her wishes. She would come to my bed in the night and do lewd acts and I could not stop her,'' she writes. In Bangalore for a refresher course in English, she writes, ''I was told to stay at the office of a priest respected for his strong moral side. But when I reached the station, he was waiting there and hugged me tight on arrival. Later in the day, he took me to Lalbagh and showed me cupid struck couples and tried to convince me about the need for physical love. He also narrated stories of illicit relations between priests and nun to me. Back in his room, he tried to fondle me and when I resisted, got up and asked angrily if I had seen a man. When I said no, he stripped himself, ejaculated and forced me to strip,'' Jesmi recounts. More

Virakta Mutt in Deshanur, Belgaum has a Christian priest and Hindu Muslim devotees

Church or mutt? A sign of hope 16 Feb 2009, 0515 hrs IST, N D Shiva Kumar, TNN BELGAUM: In these troubled times of religious intolerance and rise of fundamentalism,, a village 25 km from Belgaum, stands out as a beacon of hope. The church here has adapted itself to local culture so much so that it is called a ‘mutt’ — — and has both Christian and Hindu features. The walls are adorned with teachings of Basavanna, Sarvajna, Akkamahadevi, Kabir Das, Tulsi Das, Sur Das, Purandaradasa, Kanakadasa and Meera. The church priest wears a saffron shawl; the devotees, comprising Hindus and Muslim, recite verses from the Bible, Gita and Koran. “The essence is peaceful coexistence of all faiths,’’ says priest Fr Menino. The village has a population of around 11,000 and is dominated by Lingayats and Muslims. The priest is the lone Christian member in the village. The priest worked closely with the villagers and started the first girls’ school, helped build roads, brought post office and electricity to the village. The church runs a primary school with 459 students and provides hostel accommodation to 46 poor students. Most villagers prefer to send their children to the church school. Though it has classes only up to 7th standard, high school students throng the church during nights to study. “We have a lot of powerlooms in our village. We can’t study at our homes due to the sound. So, we come here to study at nights,’’ said Shivanand Jawahar Thondikatti, a 10th-standard student. Besides Christmas, the church celebrates Sankranti. “Around 3,000 people participate during these celebrations. This place is a classic example of peaceful coexistence,’’ said Fr Menino. Source