The Catholic Church ordered an investigation after two nuns were found pregnant accusing them of violating the sacred vow of chastity. The two nuns, belonging to separate religious orders in Sicily, were found pregnant after they returned from the missionary work in their home continent Africa.
Ordering an investigation into the matter, the Catholic Church is of the opinion that the nuns have had sexual encounters while they were commissioned to carry out missionary work in their home continent.
One of them, a mother superior of an institute for the elderly at Ragusa, found she was several weeks pregnant following her visit to her home country Madagascar. The pregnancy of the other woman, a nun, reportedly based at a convent in Sicily’s Nebrodi mountains, came to light when she went to a hospital with a stomach ache. She has moved to Palermo, and is reportedly preparing to give birth to her child and is believed to be contemplating on giving up her monastic life.
Read: UK man waives off anonymity, talks about how he was raped, abused and threatened by Catholic nun
Nuns and Bishops are ordained to abide by the pledge of celibacy and are forbidden to have sexual relations. As per reports, a church source in Rome said that this news has distressed the Church. An investigation into the same has been initiated as both nuns have infringed strict rules of chastity. However, the welfare of their children is paramount. The most probable result would be that both might leave the religious service.
Recently, the Catholic Church has been in the midst of a turmoil, with many nuns coming out to recount their ordeal involving sexual exploitation at the hands of Bishops and priests. In India too, several nuns have slapped serious charge of rape against Bishop Franco. of Reacting to the grave allegations levelled by many nuns, Pope Francis had admitted earlier this year that some nuns had been sexually abused by clerics.
