Kinse’s Clash with Her Congregation
On September 24, 2025, Sr. Annastasia Kinse Shako, a Catholic nun known for her outspoken social media posts, announced that she had been formally dismissed from the Congregation of Mother of Perpetual Help of the Archangels Sisters. The dismissal letter, dated July 21, was allegedly handed to her along with what she described as a “token” of ₦100,000.
Thank you for reading this post; don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel here!
“When I got to the Convent, I met that my belongings were already packed outside the room I stayed in, and the religious habits were taken away,” she wrote in a public statement on her Facebook page. “I pulled the one I had on and submitted it as well.”
For Kinse, whose posts over the past year have sparked heated debate within Catholic circles in Nigeria and beyond, the dismissal marked both a painful rupture and a continuation of her struggle for what she calls “truth, justice, and dignity in the house of God.”
A Digital Prophetic Voice?
Long before her dismissal, Sr. Kinse had cultivated a following online under the hashtag #sranniecares, where she often blended prayers, biblical reflections, and searing critiques of abuses within religious life.
In an August post titled “Religious Sisters Are Not Priests’ Wives or Bedmates,” she accused some priests of treating Sisters as property and called out the misuse of authority within convents themselves. “A Church that preaches purity while tolerating the defilement of its consecrated women,” she wrote, “is a Church that mocks its own Gospel.”
The post went viral, generating both praise and condemnation. While many applauded her courage, others accused her of scandalising the Church. A subsequent misrepresentation of her words in local media — claiming she had alleged that “all priests” behaved abusively — further fuelled tensions.
“I never said that,” she clarified in a letter on August 26. “My words were a call for reform, rooted in love for the Church—not hatred or scandal.”
Faith Amid Fallout
As the pressure mounted, Kinse continued to write. In one reflection, she pleaded: “Why is silence demanded from victims but not from perpetrators? If priests are called to celibacy, why do some treat Sisters as if they were wives or property?”
Her posts alternated between lament and resilience. On September 9 she wrote:
“I have tried to be strong, but the weight is becoming unbearable. I have done the right things by reporting and speaking out, yet I am faced with intimidation and attacks. I refuse to be silenced.”
Even after the convent doors closed to her, Kinse reaffirmed her Catholic identity. “I am a Catholic! And I love my Church!” she declared on the day she disclosed her dismissal. “Above all, I place my trust in God, whose throne can never be shaken and who never abandons His own.”
Larger Questions for the Church
Her case underscores broader tensions within the Catholic Church in Nigeria and worldwide: the clash between vows of obedience and conscience, the handling of abuse allegations, and the role of social media in amplifying voices traditionally confined to cloisters.
For some, Sr. Kinse’s dismissal is proof that she overstepped the bounds of religious life. For others, the dismissal is further evidence of a noticeable institutional reluctance to confront uncomfortable truths.
“She is paying the price for saying what many Sisters feel but dare not voice,” one lay supporter wrote in response to her latest post.
What Next?
With her dismissal now public, Sr. Kinse stands at a crossroads. Her vows, technically perpetual, have collided with institutional discipline. She remains unwavering in her identity as a Catholic, but without the security of her community and paltry one hundred thousand naira (about US$67)
Yet, her voice has only grown stronger. “Justice is not a hammer raised in anger, but a quiet light that refuses to go out,” she reflected earlier this month. “The cruel ones may twist stories and the powerful may try to bury truth, but justice has roots deeper than their lies.”
She steps into an uncertain future, but Sr. Kinse seems determined to keep speaking. Her dismissal may have ended her life as a Sister in habit, but it apparent whas not silenced her prophetic witness.
Follow the AkweyaTV channel on WhatsApp: http://bit.ly/3I7mQVx
Or scan the QR code:
