Pope Benedict XVI has shut down a famous community in Rome that
organised dances by a former nightclub dancer nun and hosted VIPs like
Madonna, earning the disfavour of the Vatican.
The closure of the
monastery of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, which holds some of the
Church's most prized relics, was reported by Italian dailies La Stampa
and Il Foglio.
The reports said the community of Cistercian monks
based at the church for more than five centuries was being transferred
to other churches in Italy.
Contacted by AFP, the Vatican did not deny the reports.
The
basilica had become a hub for the "Friends of Santa Croce", an
aristocratic group, and had been criticised for some unorthodox
practices including dances in which nuns pranced around the altar.
One
of the nuns who performed at the church, a former disco dancer, can be
seen in a YouTube video performing a modern dance with a crucifix.
The
basilica's longtime abbot, Simone Fioraso, a flamboyant former Milan
fashion designer, was already moved out of the basilica two years ago.
The
ban was adopted in March by the Congregation for Institutes of
Consecrated Life following an inquiry but has not yet been made public,
the reports said.
Pope Benedict, the leader of the world's 1.1
billion Catholics, is also the bishop of Rome, so the basilica is part
of his diocese.
Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, built around a chapel
dating to the fourth century, is one of Rome's oldest and most
prestigious churches.