Ex-nun urges Indian Church reform in tell-all book

By Tony Tharakan

NEW DELHI (Reuters Life!) - A Roman Catholic nun who left her convent in India after 33 years of service has penned an unflattering picture of life within the cloistered walls in a book that may further embarrass the Church.

In "Amen: The Autobiography of a Nun", published in India in English this month, Sister Jesme tells of sexual relations between some priests and nuns, homosexuality in the convent and discrimination and corruption in Catholic institutions.

The 52-year-old outspoken former college principal left the Congregation of Mother of Carmel in Kerala last year after what she described as the authorities' repeated attempts to have her declared insane.

"Amen" grabbed media headlines in February, when it was first published in Malayalam -- the regional language of Kerala.

With the new English edition and offers of a film based on the book, Sister Jesme's plea for a reformation of the Church is now set to reach a wider audience.

Father Stephen Alathara, a spokesman for the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council, told Reuters the organisation was unruffled by the book's publication.

"We are not at all concerned about this book. It's not an issue for the Catholic Church to give an answer to these kinds of silly books," he said.

Sister Jesme, who goes by only one name, told Reuters in a phone interview that she is a "little cautious" these days.