The Catholic Church in Rome yesterday admitted its awareness of incidents in at least 23 countries of sexual abuse and rape of nuns by priests.
According to the Vatican, most of the sexual abuse and rape has taken place in African countries, with so-called celibate priests abandoning prostitutes in fear of contracting Aids and raping nuns instead.
Confidential reports were leaked last week to the US Catholic weekly National Catholic Reporter, and are not being denied by Church authorities.
Several of the five reports are said to have been in circulation for more than six years, while others are comparatively recent, but all state priests had demanded sex in exchange for favours.
In extreme cases, nuns had been made pregnant and forced to have abortions.
Third world African states culturally condition women to subservience to men, making it easy for Catholic clergy to use their spiritual and financial authority to gain sex.
The documents state a particularly serious situation in Africa, where early adolescent girls and nuns are regarded as safe sexual targets.
Church authorities, apparently, have done little to address the issue, even though the reports cite countless cases of rape and sexual abuse by members of the clergy.
In one case, a pregnant nun died during an abortion; in another 29 nuns in one congregation all became pregnant by priests in the same church.
Forced to acknowledge the disgrace, the Vatican is trying to play it down. its spokesman yesterday attributed the issue to a ‘restricted geographical area’ and reminded reporters of the good work being done by an overwhelming number of nuns and priests.
CAFOD Aids coordinator Sister Maura O’Doniohue is well aware of the problem, confirming nuns are ‘safe targets’ for sexual abuse.
She tells of a group of priests threatened to risk Aids with local prostitutes if a local abbess refused sexual access to her nuns.
Committed Catholics are now hoping the Pope will be as courageous in his tackling of the scandal as he was over paedophile priests.
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