Before Romana Kocjančič came to our TV station years ago, she had asked whether to wear her uniform, or dress in civilian clothes. The answer by the editor had been: "We hired you as a nun; that was our purpose." Therefore sister Romana still walks the RTV corridors in nun's habit.
But when she started hosting the show The Horizons of the Spirit, it was "immediately clear" to her that she should wear civilian clothes in front of the camera. It was her decision, not an order.
Those more Catholic opposed to the nun's habit.
"Whenever I was checking the reactions, it turned out it would be disturbing were I to host the show in nun's habit," she explained. "When asking within the RTV house, the answers I got differed. Those liberally oriented told me they didn't care what I wore, as they knew me for what I was. On the other hand, those right-wing minded or very Catholic said that they would mind being preached by a nun, in case I wore the nun's habit while hosting the show," she admitted, and added: "Quite often the things are easier with people who are not religious, they respect you and understand you more easily. I got less support by the very, very devout people."
The clothes Romana wears as a host are quite feminine. She wears make-up, her hair is carefully styled, she wears skirts and high-heeled shoes. Her image as a host is carefully prepared by the house stylist Beti Zubčič, who is very careful to keep the clothes decent, with a proper neckline.
She started her TV voyage 16 years ago - "quite accidentally", says 47-year old host of the show The Horizons of Spirit, who lives in the convent of Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. "I never imagined I would work on television, it never appealed to me," she admits. "But as the vows in our order command to us poverty, purity, and obedience, I took the decision of the responsible sister for granted." She graduated as a textile engineer, but she says she always saw herself in pastoral care. She is very attracted to social work and work with people who need help.
How does your work week look before the Sunday show? "I work full time, which means 40 hours per week. On Monday, at latest by Tuesday afternoon the research of the main topic of the show for the current week must be completed. I always make a monthly plan in advance, defining the topics. On Sunday afternoon, after the show, I usually think about, and prepare things for the show two weeks ahead. So when I come to work on Monday, the day starts with a meeting with journalists, we discuss everything, I give them tasks, I hand in the work plan, and I have to do the research for the current week, so that everything is ready for finalizing on Friday," sister Romana described the preparations for the show.
This Sunday the topic of the show will be The politics and the Christians. "How to stay clean in the dirty world of politics? Because once you find yourself in the dung, you stink too," Kocjančič announces. "The duty of the Christians is to engage in the socio-political life, and thus contribute to the better, and fairer world. Because belief without acting is lifeless. You can be a Christian at home, alone in your room, but in that case you are a bad Christian," she claims, and adds: "If Christians were truly Christians, our world would be very different. Because most of the world population are Christians, and if we lived as the faith teaches, everybody would have enough food, and the society would be just. We too exploit the others, and get dirty in the world of politics."