CathNews New Zealand

Sister Mary Lembo says the sexual abuse of women religious by priests in Africa is a “gaping wound” in the Church.

A native of the West African nation of Togo and member of the Sisters of St. Catherine of Alexandria, she’s done extensive research on this taboo subject, including her doctoral dissertation.

Lembo is a psychotherapist who teaches courses at the Safeguarding Institute of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and does workshops for seminaries and religious houses in Africa. In this exclusive interview with La Croix’s Christophe Henning, she explains what she has discovered in her research and work with abused women religious.

La Croix: You are a Togolese sister and have just published the results of your investigation on abused nuns in Africa. How did you come to work on this issue?

Sister Mary Lembo: As an educator and trainer, I have led sessions on affective and sexual maturity to help religious sisters live their commitment. In this context, I met with consecrated women who were talking about their experience with an abusive priest. At the time, I felt that they could say no to these abusive relationships. As I listened to them, I realized that they were not free.

How do they find themselves in this state of submission?

These consecrated women are adults, but live in vulnerable conditions. When they wonder about their vocation, or feel doubts about their commitment, they confide in a priest and expose themselves spiritually and humanly.

This can also be in the context of collaboration in the life of the parish: the priest is the one in charge and they are not in a position of equality. Slowly, the relationship passes from fraternity to familiarity, and they can no longer defend themselves.

Is it the status of the priest that gives him this superiority?

In sub-Saharan African society, the priest is a person of reference, a wise man, a leader. He is the man of God, feared and respected. What he asks, the sisters do, for fear of God and for fear of the priest who speaks in the name of God.

You have had difficulty in gathering testimonies: are the victims not yet able to speak up?

“This is the first time I have spoken about this situation,” the sisters I interviewed told me. “I didn’t know; I now realize how naive I was,” one of them told me.

Talking gives you the strength to continue. Telling the story of one’s life allows one to distance oneself from the suffering.

Are we talking about something that is systemic in nature?

I conducted a qualitative study based on the testimonies of the sisters to understand the dynamics of abuse. But there is no statistical study to date.

Yet, anyone who lives and works in Africa can see that women are submissive. And the consecrated woman gives her life to God. The conversations I have had with community leaders and people who accompany consecrated women are quite worrying.

How can we avoid this ambiguous relationship in pastoral responsibilities?

Working together creates a certain familiarity and can generate affective desires, and sexual impulses.

If people are trained humanly, they will be able to set boundaries to protect their religious vows. And it is primarily up to the priest in charge not to invade the intimacy of the person. Sexual abuse creates confusion, and the aggressor uses blackmail, threatening to reveal everything, and it is the sister who will be sent away.

Are the bishops and leaders of the Church aware of the abuse?

Some priests are aware. Most often, the bishops support the priests. The laity who observe the movements of the religious sister, know and say nothing. No one dares to say anything about the priest.

In some communities, the superiors are not able to handle these situations. It is the abused sister who is not faithful to her commitment. Her community does not understand. She has no choice but to remain silent or leave…

Can we measure the consequences of these assaults?

Rape, aggression, unwanted pregnancies… There are first of all physical consequences, but also psychological ones: shame, guilt, sadness, anguish, confusion, revolt, isolation. There are also consequences in community and relational life, as the victim no longer trusts.

Finally, there are spiritual consequences: abandonment of religious life, revolt against God, spiritual lukewarmness, and ineffectiveness in the mission. Darkened, they live without living.

Are there any legal proceedings against the aggressors?

Laywomen who suffer abuse by certain priests are organizing themselves, for example in Cameroon. But the religious sisters are still timid.

While there are condemnations of certain priests obtained by NGOs that defend underage girls or even canonical procedures, I do not know of any trials related to assaults on religious sisters. They are afraid they would be rejected by their community, their family, the village…

In order for them to file a complaint, they would need to be supported.

What is the future of these consecrated women who have been assaulted?

Some leave religious life, but not the Church. They find it very difficult to pray, they no longer want to hear about confession, they no longer consider the priest as sacred.

This is what I still hear from a consecrated woman who lives with her child: “My heart is still that of a sister.” Those who remain feel unworthy, still under the control of the priest. It takes strength to say to the abuser, “you can do whatever you want, you can blackmail me, you can tell whoever you want, I refuse this relationship”.

It is only through training that someone will get out of submission. Formation helps us to know ourselves, to understand our emotional reactions. Pastoral relationships should also be more professional.

You emphasize the dynamism of the Catholic Church in Africa: can this crisis be overcome?

I hope so. The African Church is young, dynamic and still growing. And Africans are religious, they believe in God, want to serve God, and there are many vocations. If all of us become aware of the problem, we will be strengthened in our faith in Jesus Christ. The Lord will use us to strengthen his Church.

• First published in La-Croix International. Republished with permission.

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News category: Analysis and Comment, Palmerston.