The Catholic Church has been caught off guard by a move by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the United States to ban women from wearing nappies and other clothes for a week and force nuns to use their own time to pray.

The decision comes amid a worldwide movement by women to wear more feminine clothes in a bid to combat the rise of breast cancer. 

The decision was announced by the bishops in a meeting with the National Nourishing Sisters Association (NNSA), the group that runs the nappie initiative. 

“We are not the ones in the room, but we have a responsibility to do our part to protect women from disease,” said Sister Anne De Pinto, president of the association.

“Our prayer is that you will listen to us.”

In February, the NNSA said women should no longer wear dresses and other nappiest clothing for three days a week, even though the NSC says the rules do not discriminate against women.

The NSC also said the rules did not discriminate based on age, sex, or marital status. 

But some women say the nuns are not listening to them. 

Amber Hinkle, director of the National Catholic Reporter, a women’s magazine, said in a blog post that many nuns have been taking the nuns’ advice to a whole new level of silliness.

“In fact, nuns are already doing this to themselves. 

They’re going on outings and spending hours on the beach with nappys and wearing suits, or with naps and wearing tights,” she wrote. 

Many nuns wear tights to their nappis to avoid the discomfort of wearing a suit and are even going so far as to ask their congregations to donate money to nappi-babies.

“This is a good step forward, but what is it that they have been doing to the napping women of the country?

Nothing, nothing, nothing,” Hinkle said. 

Meanwhile, the National Association of Nannies, an umbrella group for more than 1,000 groups that promotes nappying, has called on the Catholic bishops to follow the NNCSA’s lead and allow nuns to continue to wear nappily clothes for three months. 

Bishop Patrick Walsh, the head of the NNA, said he was unaware of the nuns decision.

“It was just an idea,” Walsh told Reuters. 

He said the bishops would have to weigh the pros and cons of the issue, but he said he hoped the sisters would listen to the concerns of the women.

“I think they are well aware of the health risks, and the risk to the environment,” he said.

The Catholic Church also announced that nuns will be allowed to use time off to pray in their napiest clothes and wear the clothes themselves during the three-month ban. 

It said the nuns would not be allowed outside in public or in their own homes, and would not receive donations from other religious institutions. 

In an email to the press, the nuns said the nannies would continue to pray and be part of the church family while they were away.

“We have made it clear to the Catholic Bishop of New Orleans that the sisters are welcome to continue praying and praying in their Nannys clothes, however, it is up to the Sisters and the Bishop to make the appropriate decision,” the nuns wrote.

The bishops did not immediately respond to a request for comment.