Young nuns wey meet for convent and marry demsefs share dia journey from hate to love wey lead to marriage

No be love at first sight. In fact, wen Luiza Silvério first sight her wife for di convent wia dem go at 19 years old novices, dem bin hate demsefs

Now wey dem don marry, her wife, Francília Costa tell BBC Brasil say, "I bin dey tink di same tin about am. Guys, how pesin go carry nose up like dat?"

Francília bin don alreadi dey di convent for five years wen Luiza enta, six years ago. She bin don alreadi take her solemn vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and bin dey study to get theology degree. She bin reason di convent life bicos of her deeply religious grandparents wey raise am for Paui, north-east Brazil.

Den Luiza land. She bin no dey happy wit di "emptiness" of her teenage life for Minas Gerais, south-east Brazil but she bin also reason say she get di call.

Francília tok say, "we bin enta convent wit purpose - and dat purpose na to serve God".

Small-small, ova di next two years, di two sisters bicom closer and turn friends, and den di hate dem bin get start to dey tun to admiration.

But just as dia friendship start to ginger dey go, na so dia commitment to di convent start to fall.

During Covid, Francília bin dey suffer panic attacks ova fears say she fit catch and spread di virus. Na so she go therapy and na dia wia she start to retink her choices.

She tok say, "religious life na veri beautiful life but you gatz get physical and metal health. No be just to sabi how to pray".

Luiza sef bin dey face her own wahala afta her grandma die wey give her panic attacks and depression. Her therapy also make am reason say she gatz put her mental health first and leave her dreams of taking her vow and living for di convent forever.

Francília tok say, "Luiza bin also need to take care of her mental health and wen she decide say she go comot, e shock me. 'My God! Girl of dat age get di ability to tink about restarting life, no mata how e be. And I no fit tink about am even though I don live more outside dan inside.'"

Wit di ginger wey her young friend, Francília give am separately, dem come to di same conclusion. She too comot convent but to comot hard pass wetin di both of dem bin tink.

Luiza tok say, "Life no easy out here o. E bin dey veri hard. You no know if you go fit go college abi if you go fit get job."

Francília bin feel di same. She tok say, "Picture job interview, pesin go ask say 'Wetin be your degree?' 'Theology.' Which kain work I go find?"

By di time wey she decide say she go comot, Francília bin need buy all new clothes bicos she don dey for convent for seven years.

Di biggest financial gbege na rent - so to fit save money, di two friends gree say dem go share flat.

Den one evening, afta di two of dem finish watching one romantic comedy togeda, Love in Verona, wia di characters bin start to hate demsefs bifor dem fall in love. Na so Francília confess her feelings give Luiza.

As teenagers, both bin identify as bisexual but e bin no affect dia desire to bicom nuns or dia decision to enta convent.

Luiza tok say "e no make us fear God or to dey afraid to dey dia. I bin no want relationship wit anybodi. I bin really wan live in celibacy to follow my religion, my Church. I bin no reason di possibility to comot and dey relationship wit pesin".

Francília gree say "time bin no dey to tink about anytin else. To enta bin dey veri easy but to comot convent na di hardest tin wey I don eva face".

Now wey dem dey live togeda as couple, dia biggest wahala na how dem go still dey continue to practise dia faith.

Di year afta dem comot convent and two years bifor dem marry, for October 2023, Pope Francis, bin allow priests to dey bless same-sex and "irregular" couples, under some circumstances.

But di Church bin still reason same-sex relationships as "objectively sinful", e add and say dem no go recognise same-sex marriage.

Luiza tok say "na somtin wey Fran and me dey tok for house. You no fit separate di human Jesus and di divine Jesus. E be one. And our sexuality and our faith no fit dey separated bicos e dey in us. We be couple wey get faith, e no get way wey we fit separate am."

Di couple still dey in contact wit di nuns and friars from dia days for di convent but nobodi for di Church go dia wedding. But Luiza say, "We bin get plenti affection, messages and prayers wey bin dey dedicated to us and our day.

"Maybe we no get picture for altar of one church, but we get picture wit Our Lady of Aparecida [statue of di Blessed Virgin Mary, Jesus mama, venerated for Brazil]. For us, she represent gratitude, prayers and di consecration of our family to God."

But both of dem neva drop wetin carry dem enta convent as teenagers.

Afta dem share dia tori for social media, di couple start to get plenti messages from both Christians wey get questions about dia sexuality, and lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender pipo wey get questions about dia faith.

Luiza tok say "dis don really start to strengthen our desire to tell our tori for open way, about our sexuality and about our faith. E make complete sense and dey help plenti pipo.

"Dis space dey strengthen even our faith journey as pipo and couple. Evri space wia we see to tell our tori, for us na continuation of our mission".

Francília tok say, "Our mission na to dey hia and listen to tori dem and help pipo. One of di biggest challenges wen you work through social media na to know how to listen, na know how to tok.

"Bicos na somtin wey I dey always tok, 'If one day, I gatz build family, God go present me di kain family wey e want make I build'. So... hia we dey.

"As incredible as e look, if Cupid dey dis world, our own na God."