Abuse by nuns is ignored
Last week, another child molesting nun was publicly exposed. She’s Sister Agnes Daniels, who worked at St. Mary School in Boston when she reportedly committed the abuse. (Thanks to attorney Mitchell Garabedian for disclosing the accusations.)
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/119d00fc180b4ea79c7630a48258abad/MA--Church-Abuse
In July, two other abusive nuns were publicly exposed: Sister Agnes Santomassimo and Sister Mary Joseph. Both allegedly molested in California. (Santomassimo also worked in Chicago. Joseph also worked in Idaho, Arizona and Washington state.)
(Thanks to attorney Tony Demarco for disclosing the accusations.)
http://www.lorpb.com/documents/Agnes-File.pdf
(In all three cases, Catholic officials settled cases with victims of these nuns.)
And last month, the umbrella group for most of America’s nuns held its annual meeting. Clergy sex abuse wasn’t on the agenda. No reporters apparently questioned them about clergy sex crimes or cover ups by women religious.
This part of the church’s continuing clergy sex abuse and cover up crisis remains largely unexamined – the nuns who commit and conceal child sex crimes.
Someday, this will change. And when it does, America’s nuns will have to answer some tough questions. Perhaps the toughest will be this one: “Back in 2002, when child molesting clerics and corrupt church officials burst into the national consciousness, why didn’t you take action then to protect the vulnerable and heal the wounded?”
Showing 17 comments
The results of years of abuse and isolation has plagued my life in so many damaging ways. I am so happy to find S.N.A.P….and talk about abuse by nuns. Shine a like on it. bring it out of the darkness and lies. Thank you and Bless You.
Peace and all good Donna Cournoyer sfo
I say that, yet I myself took a long time to begin to address the issue in my own broken heart. The pain—you know. And even after addressing it with family and loved ones, and getting their support, it took me years to state my truth here on the SNAP sight. It was easier for me to share one to one with folks, or keep my own quiet blog. Coming to this forum is Independence Day for me!
If we just do the math, the simple math, I believe that abuse by nuns will exceed that of the male clergy. The numbers of female religious exceed the number of priests, and they had access to children and youth six hours a day, five days a week, not including after school hours where greater privacy began. Generally priests had access to the boys before and after Mass, or at various group practices or trips—not all day every day! The math is frightening.
I was in the convent. Anyone who is honest cannot be in a religious community more than a few weeks without seeing who the immature ones are (who can eventually become ephebophiles) who are courting one another! They are so sexually immature they don’t even recognize what their relationships are, but call them by simpleton names of “spiritual friendships.” These women would not understand or recognize a true spiritual friendship between mature adults. When I was in (40 year ago) sexuality simply was not addressed. It was ignored, and so those who were immature had no clue they were, and when they acted out they rationalized it as friendship and love. Those who were pedophiles, well they were just sick bitches who were pedophiles, control freaks, who would never mature even with counseling.
I still know some Sisters today. Some have grown up and recognize the bullshit of the past, and are trying to demand their orders face life. The superiors, imo, are still all about denial and protecting themselves and their members (i.e. the order’s financial security), and are not really interested in victims (past, present or future). If they were they would not repeat the evil the bishops perpetrated on the Catholic world by ignoring reality. Even those few who do try to respond to victims in some way (as in my case) do not hold the abuser herself accountable!
These vestal virgins are the last bastion of purity the Catholic population can cling to and they don’t want to believe that sisters can and do abuse children and youth. The entire Church needs to wake up.
George Barilla