Falling out of the habit

The Vatican official in charge of religious orders says the fact that many clergy, nuns and brothers do not wear their habits reflects a "climate of secularization" that endangers religious life.

Cardinal Franc Rodé told Italy's La Stampa newspaper that signs of secularization among religious include: "Untrammeled liberty, a weak sense of family, a worldly spirit, scarce visibility of the religious habit, a devaluation of prayer, an insufficient community life and a scarce sense of obedience."

Last month, Rodé told Jesuits gathered in Rome that he felt "sorrow and anxiety" over the failure of "some members of religious families" to "think with the church" and obey the hierarchy.