Catholic nuns in India mobilised earlier in the month in Mangalore with the vision of opening a new theology research institute to empower women religious and redress the gender disparity in religious studies.

Around 350 superiors representing more than 90,000 women religious gathered in Mangalore, 2,290 kilometres southwest of New Delhi, for the four-day annual plenary of the women's section of the Conference of Religious India, reported UCA news.

According to the report, a seven-member committee has been commissioned to work out plans to establish an inter-congregational institute that will spur education, development and research among women religious.

The new centre will "enable the women to empower themselves" through scientific and systematic research and study on the contributions of women in general and women religious in particular, explained Bethany Sister Jyothi, a committee member.

Sister Jyoti, vice president of the meeting's organising committee, was one among many others who expressed concern over gender discrimination within the church. She said some women religious were treated as "just decorators".

The centre, according to Sister Jyoti, will carry out research on gender issues and women's studies, with special emphasis on theological and religious perspectives for women's social, economic, cultural and spiritual empowerment.

Chavanod Sister Evelyn Monteiro, a theologian, observed that one reason for male domination in the Church has been women's lack of competence in theology. Addressing the gathering, she said professionalism in any field could empower women religious. She proposed a theology institute for training nuns.

The nuns concluded the assembly with a statement in which they expressed the desire to redesign their formation programme to "nurture a God-experience based spirituality that fosters a life of contemplative prophecy".

Such formation will stress "emotional and psycho-spiritual-sexual growth" and "encourage theological study and research" aimed at enhancing nuns' capacity for analytical, critical and creative thinking.

This will "reinterpret and contextualize our charisms" for social relevance, the statement added.