By John-Henry Westen
NAIROBI, Kenya, September 7, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – While in North America or Europe Catholic nuns and priests may not be censured for nuanced abortion support, the same is not true in Africa. In 2003 a prominent nun and professor of religion at Kenyatta University in Nairobi Kenya was sanctioned by her bishop for touting pro-abortion sentiments in an interview with the BBC.Â
The censure has produced positive results. Sister Anne Nasimiyu-Wasike, PhD. has now formally and publicly repented of her erroneous stand.Â
Given her celebrated feminist past, that renouncement must have been all the more difficult. In addition to her former abortion support, Sister Anne was also a major proponent of very questionable feminist theology and was a speaker for the dissident group Call to Action in the United States. Despite the fact that she was superior general of the Little Sisters of St. Francis from 1992-1998, she was reprimanded by her successor as superior general in 2003 for her pro-abortion statements.
Earlier this year, in a letter to the Vatican, Sister Anne wrote: “On February 5, 2003 in a BBC interview, I suggested that the State should legalise abortion to save lives of poor women. I now realise that this is wrong because it justifies evil means to achieve a good end. I therefore want to inform everybody that I believe induced abortion is wrong and cannot be justified to obtain a good end.” The statement was approved by the Archbishop.
In light of her April 10, 2006 letter renouncing her former anti-life beliefs, the head of the Vatican office on religious orders, has written Nairobi Archbishop Raphael S. Ndingi Mwana’a Nzeki to request her reinstatement, Nairobi’s The Standard newspaper reports. The paper indicates that Sister Anne’s sanctions included being barred from reception of the sacraments. The letter from the Vatican’s Cardinal Franc Rodé, C.M., Prefect of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life hoped that the three year ban could be ended.