'Sister Internet' is kicked out of Spanish convent

Madrid: A Spanish nun has been kicked out of the religious order where she lived the last 35 years in seclusion after spending too much time on the social networking site Facebook.

Maria Jesus Galan, nicknamed "Sister Internet" by her fellow nuns, announced on her Facebook page that she had been asked to leave the convent after disagreements over her online activities.

The 54-year-old, who lists her hobbies as "reading, music, art, and making friends" had almost 600 Facebook "friends" at the time of her eviction and now has fan pages with thousands of supporters from around the globe calling for her to be allowed back into the order.

A computer was first brought on to the premises of the 14th century Santo Domingo el Real convent in Toledo, central Spain ten years ago after the mother superior was persuaded that it would lessen the need for nuns to enter the outside world. "It enabled us do things such as banking online and saved us having to make trips into the city," said Sister Maria, who entered as a novice at the age of 21.

Ancient walls

However, the nun quickly saw the possibilities and soon began digitising the archives contained within the convent's ancient walls and making them accessible to the world. In 2008, she won a local government prize for her work scanning the texts in the convent's library. The award made headlines and she soon had scores of friends worldwide connecting through her Facebook page. Despite saying that her dedication to her vocation was as strong as ever she said that she was driven from the convent by other nuns who disapproved of her cyber activity and "made life impossible".

‘Internal matter'

The Dominican order has refused to comment on her departure and the Archbishop of Toledo when approached said it was "an internal matter". Sister Maria, who is now living at her mother's house, said she was ready to embark on a new chapter in her life. "I would like to visit London and New York," she posted on her page. "Such things were impossible to even dream when at the convent."

It is not the first time the internet has caused problems for religious authorities in Toledo. Last year, a parish priest was removed from his post after it emerged that he had used the internet to advertise himself as a male prostitute. Samuel Martin Martin, 27, posted images of himself wearing only underpants advertising his availability for €120 (Dh603) an hour.

Are social networks a threat to conservative society? Do you think its drawbacks often mask its benefits? Which social media do you use most actively?