A group of nuns has been branded as too entrepreneurial by the Catholic Church. Mother Aline Pereira Ghammachi (pictured above), the former abbess of the Saints Gervasius and Protasius monastery, and four other Cistercian sisters were released from their vows after they were accused of courting media attention while promoting the sale of the monastery’s homemade prosecco. Although Cistercian nuns generally shun the outside world, Ghammachi — who has a business degree — launched initiatives to help the monastery fund itself, including workshops for disabled people in the vegetable garden. She was also adept at selling the monastery’s production of aloe products and honey, as well as prosecco made from the monastery’s own vineyards. Several cloistered monasteries in Italy sell wine and other goods to finance themselves, but Ghammachi’s unconventional methods soon ignited a fight within the Cistercian Order, with Mauro-Giuseppe Lepori, the abbot general of the Cistercian Order, disapproving of the nun’s television appearances promoting the monastery. The nuns have said that they intend to carry on with monastic life independently of the Church. Now a community of 12 former nuns and lay people, the group has settled in a nearby 19th-century villa made available by a benefactor. They sell honey, aloe products and essential oils, and are partnering with a non-profit to support people with anxiety and depression. “Our legal status has completely changed because we are no longer affiliated with the diocese or any religious institute, but we continue to pray, devote ourselves to the Lord, help others, and move forward with our projects,” said Ghammachi.
The expelled nuns and lay people
