Vatican City (AFP)
The syndrome of exhaustion and stress at work of Catholic nuns - or "burn out" - is now taken very seriously, especially since the abandonments of vocation are numerous and have led the Pope to open a reception center in Rome for ex-sisters, reveals a supplement to the Osservatore Romano, Vatican official journal.
Very subject to their hierarchy, working without clear rules or employment contracts, sometimes also victims of abuse of power or sexual assault, the difficult daily life of the nuns is on the front page of "Donne Chiesa Mondo", a monthly supplement devoted to women in the Church to be published on Sunday.
The magazine unveils an unprecedented initiative from the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) which has decided to set up a commission for a period of three years to deal with this phenomenon of "burn out".
The Brazilian cardinal João Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life, notes "many abandonments" of vocation in Europe (unlike Asia and Africa) and convents which empty.
Faced with the drama of ex-nuns, often foreign, who find themselves on the street without any accompaniment from the Church, the pope decided to open a reception house in Rome, says the cardinal.
"The pope's gesture is wonderful. I went to visit these ex-sisters. I encountered a world of wounds, but also of hope. There are very hard cases, for which the superiors have retained the papers sisters who wanted to leave the convent, "he deplores, while also mentioning" some cases of prostitution of survival ". "All of this must absolutely change," said the cardinal.
For Sister Maryanne Lounghry, Australian nun, psychologist and academic, we must tackle the "organizational culture" of religious congregations.
The nun who examines the phenomenon of "burn out" judges that one of the nodes of the problem remains a fundamental difference between the obligations of nuns and religious (the latter enjoying more rights). It advocates in particular the negotiation of rest time and leave.
"Not having control of your own life, not being able to program, undermines mental health. Working in ambiguity, without sure rules, can make me feel harassed, abused, attacked", she summarizes, evoking parishes where an absolute power of the priest reigns over sisters forced to work against their will.
This same magazine had caused a sensation two years ago by tackling without taboo the sometimes gratuitous exploitation of the nuns devolved to household tasks in the service of the male hierarchy of the Church, in particular the cardinals.
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