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Worldwide Catholic Nuns Denounce Church’s ‘Culture of Silence’
A nun holding a BibleLogvinyuk Yuliia / Shutterstock
Nuns are asking the Catholic Church to take a tougher stance against allegations of sexual misconduct by priests against nuns. (Logvinyuk Yuliia / Shutterstock)

By Joshua Gill
November 25, 2018 at 7:40am
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The Catholic Church’s worldwide organization of nuns called on nuns who had been sexually abused to report their abuse to law enforcement and church officials.

The International Union of Superiors General encouraged nuns to report abuse Friday, condemning the church’s culture of silence and secrecy, and vowing to help nuns who had been abused to find justice and healing.

The IUSG, which represents 500,000 nuns across the world, made the statement two days before the U.N.’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

“We condemn those who support the culture of silence and secrecy, often under the guise of ‘protection’ of an institution’s reputation or naming it ‘part of one’s culture,’” the statement said.

“We advocate for t***sparent civil and criminal reporting of abuse whether within religious congregations, at the parish or diocesan levels, or in any public arena,” it added.

Vatican officials have known about the problem of male clergy and others sexually preying on nuns, but have yet to fully acknowledge it or take action to address it, according to The Associated Press.

Cases of clerical sex abuse against nuns have reportedly occurred in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.

She, like many other nuns who have suffered abuse, was reluctant to report her abuse due to the fear that she would not be believed and that church officials would smear her as sexually promiscuous.

Her fears were merited to a degree, as the bishop she accused claimed that she had an incestuous affair.

Clerical abuse case experts say that nuns who report abuse are often defamed with such accusations, or are punished for their reports by being expelled from their orders, according to the AP.

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