By Columnist Robert Paul Reyes
Rome,Italy,(RUSHPRNEWS) AUGUST 27,2008–An Italian priest and theologian said Sunday he is “organizing an online beauty pageant for nuns to give them more visibility within the Catholic Church and to fight the stereotype that they are all old and dour.”
I have tremendous respect for nuns, the Catholic Church could not survive without their tireless work and devotion to their calling. The Catholic Church, especially in America, is in dire need of more priests. It`s the nuns who take up the slack: Teaching Catechism classes, ministering to the sick and doing everything in the church service except hearing confession and presiding over communion.
The nuns are faithful to an ecclesiastical patriarchy that doesn`t value their worth, excluding them from the priesthood.
I applaud Rev. Antonio Rungi for his desire to give the sisters more visibility, but he is going about it the wrong way. He should highlight their intellectual achievements, and not trivialize them by drawing attention to their physical appearance. Yes, many nuns are beautiful, but that has nothing to do with the essence of their being or their dedication to their religion.
I was a Catholic in my youth, and I have nothing but good memories of all nuns that I came in contact with. I hope that someday the Roman Catholic Church will reward their faithful service, and allow them to shatter the stained glass ceiling.
NEWS SOURCE: THE SOP.ORG