The sexual abuse of nuns by priests has long remained one of the Catholic Church’s most deeply buried taboos. Now, with more victims stepping forward and reports increasing, the issue is becoming impossible to ignore especially for the next pope.
Historically, the voices of abused nuns were silenced. “In the past, the nuns suffered a lot and couldn’t talk about it to anyone; it was like a secret,” said Sister Cristina Schorck, a Brazilian nun working in Rome. The late Pope Francis initiated reforms following a 2019 Vatican summit on clerical abuse, lifting the pontifical secret and mandating the reporting of abuse cases. However, much remains unresolved.
A glaring example is the case of Slovenian priest and artist Marko Rupnik, accused of sexual and psychological abuse by nuns in the 1990s. Proceedings only began in 2023 after public pressure led to the lifting of the statute of limitations. Laura Sgro, the lawyer representing some of Rupnik’s accusers, emphasized the need for stronger legal protections, including extended statutes of limitation and state-level support.
Although the Vatican has made some strides, critics argue reforms are too slow and incomplete. The refusal to eliminate the secrecy of confession continues to raise concerns among victims’ advocates. “Things are moving forward step by step,” acknowledged a senior Church official anonymously, noting Pope Francis’s denunciation of all forms of abuse.
Meanwhile, the call for gender equality within Church leadership is growing louder. Despite women making up the majority in religious life over 559,000 globally their influence remains limited. In 2023, for the first time, a woman was appointed to lead a Vatican ministry, a symbolic but overdue gesture.
Groups like the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) have taken proactive steps, promoting training and awareness on abuse within congregations. Yet, Sister Veronique Margron of France insists the momentum must spread beyond Rome: “We mustn’t expect everything from the Vatican.”
With a new papacy on the horizon, there is growing pressure for systemic change. The silence has been broken but justice and full accountability remain distant goals.
