Nun

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Nuns are women in Monasticism. Nuns are found in several different religions, notably Christianity and Buddhism.

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Roman Catholic nuns

Roman Catholic women in the religious life can be called nuns or sisters. A woman involved in "works of mercy" such as teaching, nursing or missionary work is called a sister.[1] Sisters frequently "serve" the outside world, as teachers in Roman Catholic schools, nurses or volunteers in hospitals, the social value of this service varies.

One type of "mercy" was found in Irish Magdalene laundries where religious sisters confined women for a lifetime of servitude and forced labour washing clothes. This was due to sins, mainly sexual sins the women had committed or might commit if free, naturally the Church profited from their work.[2]

Sexual exploitation

There are complaints that Roman Catholic priests exploits nuns sexually and that the Vatican does little to protect victims. This happens especially in the Third World where women are conditioned to be subservient to men, in Africa nuns are seen as safer than sex workers as they are less likely to carry HIV. Getting a certificate to work in a particular diocese could depend on the nun having sex with the priest in charge.

Twenty-three countries are particularly notable as centers of nun abuse. Not all are Third World:
Botswana, Burundi, Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Tonga, Uganda, United States, Zambia, Zaire, Zimbabwe.

"Groups of sisters from local congregations have made passionate appeals for help to members of international congregations and explain that, when they themselves try to make representations to church authorities about harassment by priests, they simply ‘are not heard.’
[3]

Frequently the nun is forced to leave the congregation with no means of support while the priest is moved to another area and continues as a priest.[4]

Pope Francis in his inaugural mass said he personally must be inspired by the weakest. [5] Nuns and religious sisters who become victims of sexual exploitation are not necessarily the very weakest but they are weaker than their exploiters. Argentina is not one of those nations where problems are most severe, still time will tell how much Francis will do to protect nuns from exploitation.

Physical and psychological abuse

During the late 20th Century this was a problem, The Guardian reported on former nun, Karen Armstrong:

But the sisters ran a cruel regime. Armstrong was required to mortify her flesh with whips and wear a spiked chain around her arm. When she spoke out of turn, she claims she was forced to sew at a treadle machine with no needle for a fortnight.[6]

Leadership Conference of Women Religious

The Vatican is displeased with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious that speaks for 80% of the 57,000 nuns/sisters in the USA. The Vatican wants the nuns to help fight their battle about abortion, birth control and homosexuality but the religious women care more about economic justice and poverty and are unwilling to compromise.[7] Further the women contradicted male bishops, and encourage "radical feminism." Male overseers have been appointed but as of August 2012 the nuns had not responded as the Vatican would like.[8] Information about the situation since August 2012 is hard to find.

See also

Footnotes

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