RTÉ news report..
it is a surreal situation (the nuns had squatted the place for two years) and there’s a big Father Ted factor here but does have worrying overtones…
In todays Europe you unfortunately expect dreadlocked activists or hoodies to end up being herded about by law enforcement, or even minority religions but normally not nuns in a Catholic country (even if they disagree with their masters!)
OK the nuns weren’t roughed up, but surely a smaller number of normal police (who in this country would still be armed with pistols!) could have carried out ths operation? Especially in the wake of the events in Burma/Myanmar…
Nuns seeing visions of the Holy Sprit doesn’t seem like a particularly outlandish thing for them to be doing (even if unconventional).
Seems like a big show of force of conventional authority to me against all activists…
Rebel nuns evicted in convent raid
Wednesday, 10 October 2007 18:38
Sixty five nuns have been evicted from a convent in Poland after occupying the building for two years in a revolt against the Vatican.
The members of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Family of Bethany cut themselves off from the outside world two years ago in protest at the Roman Catholic Church’s decision to replace their mother superior.
The mother superior was at the centre of allegations over her personal behaviour – the Vatican had rejected her claims of visions of the holy spirit.
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More than 150 Polish police, some in combat uniform, entered the convent after forcing the door down this afternoon.
Specialist women’s units, psychologists, police negotiators, paramedics and Catholic Church representatives also took part in the operation.
It is understood as the police entered the convent, the nuns sang hymns and hurled insults at security forces, according to Polish police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski.
Police said a former Franciscan monk, Roman Komaryczko, was taken from the convent in handcuffs because of his ‘aggressive behaviour’.
One woman was taken away in an ambulance, accompanied by an eight month old baby.
Story from RTÉ News:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1010/poland.html
