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Church Insider Speaks Out: Sexual Abuse Rampant, No One Stands Up For The Nuns
Nuns hold placards during a protest demanding justice after an alleged sexual assault by Bishop Mulakkal. (Vivek Nair/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Speaking at the recently held literature festival in Bengaluru, Sister Jesme said that nuns fear from standing up against the church despite facing rampant abuse. She recently quit the Congregation of Mother of Carmel (CMC).
Deccan Herald quoted her as saying, “When a nun faces abuse within the church, she cannot just leave as she neither has finances nor support from family or the society. Though the church says they are for the nuns, they have never stood up for us.”
Addressing the audience as a part of the panel discussion titled ‘Mard Ko Dard Hoga: #MeToo’, she was quoted as saying, “After spending 33 years inside the church, I knew the system was all fake. I was asked to strip by a priest here in Bengaluru. My mother wanted me to speak out, but later my family, including her, abandoned me for seven years. The convent termed me ‘insane’ and called me names. I could leave because, as a former college principal, I get pension from the UGC. Most nuns, however, do not have that backing.”
On the context of sexual harassment cases against prominent personalities, the discussion focused on how women often fail to muster courage to speak up.
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