New Documentary Features Two Former Nuns Who Left Religious Life After Falling in Love

The subjects of the documentary, Marita Radovanovic and Fanika “Fani” Feric

A documentary released last fall tells the story of two former nuns who fell in love and left religious life to be with one another.

The film, Nun of Your Business, comes from Croatia where the two women whose lives it follows reside. The women, Marita Radovanovic and Fanika “Fani” Feric, met at a seminar when they were novices in religious life.

But, over time, Marita became disillusioned with her community just as she became aware she was a lesbian. While Fani knew she was gay from a younger age, both women struggled with their sexuality given negative church teachings and the conservative climate in Croatia where LGBTQ acceptance is low. France 24 reported further:

“The two women started chatting regularly after Marita had renounced her nun’s habit and was studying in the coastal town of Split.

“‘I was thinking more about her than about the Gospel,’ joked Fani, a nun in Zagreb at the time.

“After a fateful visit from Marita in 2010, Fani asked for a few days of leave to reconsider her path.

“‘As a young girl, when I saw a shooting star I always thought: “God please send me a person like me to meet”. Now she was here, so I quit the convent’.

“The couple later moved to Zagreb.

“‘Its easier in a big city, where no one knows you, no one judges you, no one points a finger at you, people accepted us as we are,’ said Fani.

“After several years, they returned to Marita’s home on Korcula, finding acceptance with her family. Fani’s parents are no longer alive.

“‘I’m not a “roommate” anymore,’ said Fani.”

Asked about this course of events, Marita stated, “I simply followed my heart. . .That’s what I did, both in the convent when I realised it was not my path, and regarding Fani.”

The two women met the documentary’s director seven years before the film was eventually made, a time in which trust was built up. The director explained:

“‘It tells the story of an unexpected and unusual love, but my directorial focus was more on the issue of personal freedom,’ Croatian director Ivana Marinic Kragic told AFP.

“The two women ‘found strength to eventually fight for their love, which is not generally accepted in our society, and they made a U-turn in their lives,’ she said. . .

“Director Kragic said her hope for the film was to create empathy, not controversy, over the couple’s story.”

Today, both Marita and Fani remain faithful believers, even while their relationship with the institutional church has shifted. To view a trailer for the film with English subtitles, see below or click here.


Robert Shine, New Ways Ministry, January 11, 2021

1 reply
  1. Colleen
    Colleen says:

    Our group met Marita and Fani in 2019 while touring Croatia. We could see their genuine love and connection. It was our privilege to meet them.

    Reply

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