Pope Recognizes Sex Abuse of Nuns By Clergy

Pope Francis has also recently validated claims of sexual abuse of nuns by priests. This abuse has come to light following the establishment of the #Metoo movement that acknowledged that where there is a an imbalance of power, adults can also be victims of abuse.

The Women Church World magazine attested that the scandal involves nuns being forced to abort the babies of priests or to bear children that priests would refuse to claim as their own.

According to Chicago Tribune Pope Francis confirmed these allegations while preparing to decide the fate of ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who has been accused of sexually abusing children and adult seminarians.

McCarrick’s case questions whether the Catholic Church should consider seminarians and sisters as vulnerable adults due to the imbalance of power between priest and sisters or seminarians as priests have the power to decide the vocations, studies, and salaries of seminarians and sisters, and the sisters take a vow of obedience.

Sisters from all around the world — India, Africa, Europe, Chile and in the Vatican — have reported abuse by clergy members. Though this abuse might have been happening for centuries, this is the first time they are speaking out against the abuses of the Church.