Shrinking family sizes and expanding career opportunities for women are posing a problem for the Churches in Kerala, the state that sends the highest number of candidates to become nuns. Fewer women are now taking vows to renounce worldly pursuits and devote themselves to religious life. The Church sees a drop in the number of people with intense desire to do service, not just in God's own country, but globally. Greater empowerment opportunities and the fact that churches are still male bastions are also making women look away from the cloistered life of convents. Spokesmen for the Catholic Church have in the past said that they may have to consider the possibility of closing down some convents if the candidates to become nuns continue to fall. In Kerala, "there is a 70-75% drop in the number of women who were joining convents to be nuns," says Sebastian Adayanthrath, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church's auxiliary bishop for Ernakulum-Angamaly.

This trend coincides with a slowdown in the growth of Christian population in India. Women from Kerala now travel across the globe to work in healthcare, IT and other industries. "Today's woman is aware of her needs, knows the job opportunities around her," says writer and social activist Sarah Joseph. "She has increasingly come to respect herself or her identity and believes in taking her own decision." And, the declining trend in women taking up monastic life is a global phenomenon, she says.

Sarah Joseph, the writer, sees a lack of democracy and male dominance in churches as key reasons for many women to avoid convent life. Sister Jesme, who walked out of the convent where she lived 33 years as a nun, has a similar view about convent life: "There is no democracy there, only hierarchy."

Thrissur Arch Bishop Andrews Thazhath said that Christian population is decreasing and there is an urgent need of evangelism. He also said that in India legally everybody has the right to believe in any religion and also to preach his religion. He also quoted that Mother Theressa presented Jesus through services and hence service is an integral part of evangelism.

While the Bishops are talking about evangelism and conversion, no media is discussing, but when Hindu community talks about Ghar Wapasi or reconversion, there is a hue and cry by the so called pseudo secularists and the media. The media has to stop these biased views and bring out the truth and facts before the viewers.

By Premji