Catholic nuns throughout the world are denouncing the culture of silence and secrecy surrounding sex abuse in the Church. The Rome-based International Union of Superiors General, which represents more than 500,000 sisters worldwide, is urging nuns who have been abused to report the crimes to police and their superiors. They have promised to help nuns Read more
An Indian priest faces disciplinary action for supporting nuns’ struggle for justice for a colleague who claims she was raped by a bishop. Bishop Jacob Manathodath from Kerala has sought an explanation from Father Augustine Vattoly about his involvement in leading a protest against Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar. Read more
The #MeToo movement has prompted nuns to come forward with complaints about sexual abuse and rape by priests. According to the Associated Press, cases of abused nuns have emerged in Europe, Africa, South America and Asia. These cases demonstrate the problem is global and pervasive, thanks to the sisters’ second-class status in the church and Read more
Pope Francis is lamenting the haemorrhaging of nuns and priests in Europe. God only knows how many seminaries, monasteries, convents and churches will close because fewer people are being called to lives of religious service, he says. Read more
The director of Oscar-nominated Lady Bird – an American comedy-drama – is being praised for the way the movie portrays nuns and priests. “It’s in many ways a love letter … to Catholic schools,” Monsignor James Murphy says. He says he is glad to see nuns and priests portrayed in a favourable light in the Read more
Exploiting nuns by using them for cheap or free labour must stop. The male hierarchy should stop treating them like lowly servants, a Vatican magazine says. Lucetta Scaraffia, who is the editor of the Vatican magazine “Women, Church, World”, says “Until now, no one has had the courage to denounce these things.” She says nuns Read more
The Catholic diocese where two priests were killed this month has withdrawn all nuns from Chilapa city in southern Mexico. The diocese says the parents of one of the nuns have been killed. In addition, the school the nuns run had to close for several months last year due to threats from drug gangs operating Read more
In India Christian priests and nuns working in legal the profession have created a forum to help them bring justice to the poor and downtrodden. Read more
Almost all who have had the privilege of being educated in convents remember nuns whose lives were ones of fulfilment, vigour and purpose On reading Tales out of School: Recollections of Ex-Covent-School Girls, published by the Pastoral Research Centre Trust two thoughts occurred to me: a. that you only realise how important something is when it Read more