Accused of disobedience: Two nuns expelled by Vatican
Ravello: The Vatican has expelled an Indian nun and another Italian nun from a convent in Amalfi, Italy, for refusing church authorities’ request to relocate.
Following repeated warnings, “rebellious nuns” serving at a seven-century-old convent in the clifftop city of Ravello have been removed from their nunnery. Sisters Massimiliana Panza and Angela Maria Punnakal left the Santa Chiara convent on Saturday after receiving a letter signed by Pope Francis stating that they would be “released” from their nun status.
There were only three nuns here, and a 97-year-old sister was allowed to stay in the monastery due to her age. Two other nuns were assigned there to replace the transferred Indian nun. However, the expelled nuns refused to accept the order issued in June last year or admit replacements.
Following that, a high-ranking church delegation arrived, accompanied by the Carabinieri, but the nuns were still not ready to open the monastery. Although they tried to negotiate with the Vatican, Sister Panza and Sister Angela Maria Punnakal were dismissed by the Pope for “disobedience to the Church.”
Pope Francis confirmed the monastic order’s sentence, and they can no longer appeal. They can only enter the ecclesiastical ranks if the Pope reverses this order and allows them to reintegrate into the monastic order.
Sister Panza went back to her hometown of Nola, near Naples. The Indian sister will also be staying there for the time being. The expelled nuns stated that they had objected to the relocation on the condition that the monastery, which was built in 1297, and the adjacent church be closed. They also received the support of a committee established to protect the monastery locally.
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