Papal enclosure

10. “Monasteries of nuns who are wholly devoted to the contemplative life must observe papal enclosure, that is, in accordance with the norms given by the Apostolic See”. (⁵⁵)

Since a stable and binding self-offering to God more fully expresses Christ's union with the Church his Bride, papal enclosure, with its particularly rigorous form of separation, better manifests and brings about the total dedication of nuns to Jesus Christ. The enclosure is the sign, the safeguard and the form (⁵⁶) of the wholly contemplative life, lived as a total gift of self, embracing the entirety of the individual's intentions and actions, so that Jesus may be truly the Lord, the sole desire and sole happiness of the nun, joyful in her expectation and radiant in the anticipated contemplation of Christ's face.

Papal enclosure, for nuns, is a recognition of the specific character of the wholly contemplative life in its feminine form. By fostering in a unique way within the monastic tradition the spirituality of marriage with Christ, it becomes a sign and realization of the exclusive union of the Church as Bride with her Lord. (⁵⁷)

Real separation from the world, silence and solitude, express and protect the integrity and identity of the wholly contemplative life, ensuring that it remains faithful to its specific charism and to the sound traditions of the Institute.

The Church's Magisterium has often restated the need for this manner of life, which is a source of grace and holiness for the Church, to be faithfully maintained. (⁵⁸)