Let nuns perform sacrament of confession in Church: Kerala outfit

Citing the alleged sexual abuse of a married woman by five priests of a church, women members of a Keralabased outfit on Sunday sought reform of the centuries-old method of sacrament of confession, saying nuns be allowed to perform the penance for women.

Representatives of the Kerala Church Act Action Council, an outfit comprising members from various church denominations who stand for reforms in the Church, said there was a possibility of intimate confessions by women being "misused" in the present form.

Last month, a man from Pathanamthitta district accused five priests of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Kerala of using his wife's secret confession to blackmail and sexually abuse her.

Vice-chairperson of the Kerala Church Act Action Council, Indulekha Joseph said this incident could not be viewed as an isolated episode and similar incidents might have been taking place across denominations for decades.

Joseph termed the practice of only priests performing sacrament of confession an example of gender bias in the Church.

“Why are nuns not being allowed to perform the same? They are also strictly adhering to the church rules and following the prescribed norms. Hence, they should be allowed to perform the penance for women and minors instead of priests,” she said.

She claimed that nowhere in the Bible has it been said that only priests should perform the sacrament of confession.