VATICAN CITY: The largest association of Roman Catholic nuns in the United States urged its members Monday to report any sexual abuse of religious sisters by clergy and demanded that church authorities “take action to end a culture of silence, hold abusers accountable and provide support to those abused.”
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which represents about 80 percent of Catholic sisters in the US, issued a statement Monday in response to an Associated Press report about several sisters coming forward recently to denounce assaults by priests and bishops.
The LCWR said it didn’t have data on incidents in the US, but thanked the sisters for speaking out.
“We understand that reporting abuse requires courage and fortitude, however, bringing this horrific practice to light may be the only way that sexual abuse by those in positions of trust in the church community will be put to an end,” the association’s statement said.
The conference has about 1,300 members in 300 orders. LCWR said it reached out to its members and urged them to report any cases to both church and civil authorities.
The AP report, citing recent reported cases of assault in Chile, India and Italy, added to the well-documented reports by religious sisters during the 1990s about clergy abuse in Africa.
At the time, sisters were increasingly targeted because they were considered “safe” sexual partners during the height of the AIDS epidemic on the continent.
“We join with all those demanding the end of a culture that ignores or tolerates sexual abuse of Catholic sisters or any other adult or minor perpetrated by those in positions of trust in the church community,” the LCWR said.
The Catholic Church in the US, which was rocked in 2002 by the clergy sex abuse scandal involving children, has been jolted again following accusations that one of the most prominent US cardinals sexually abused teenagers and adult seminarians.
Over the weekend, Pope Francis accepted Theodore McCarrick’s resignation as a cardinal and ordered him to live a lifetime of penance and prayer pending the outcome of a canonical trial.
US nuns demand action to end ‘culture of silence’ on abuse
US nuns demand action to end ‘culture of silence’ on abuse
- The Catholic Church in the US, which was rocked in 2002 by the clergy sex abuse scandal involving children
- Sisters were increasingly targeted because they were considered “safe” sexual partners during the height of the AIDS epidemic on the continent
Nigerian president vows security reset in budget speech
- Government plans to buy 'cutting-edge' equipment to boost the fighting capability of military
ABUJA: Nigeria’s president vowed a national security overhaul as he presented the government budget, allocating the largest share of spending to defense after criticism over the handling of the country’s myriad conflicts.
Nigeria faces a long-running insurgency in the northeast, while armed “bandit” gangs commit mass kidnappings and loot villages in the northwest, and farmers and herders clash in the center over dwindling land and resources.
President Bola Tinubu last month declared a nationwide security emergency and ordered mass recruitment of police and military personnel to combat mass abductions, which have included the kidnapping of hundreds of children at their boarding school.
He told the Senate that his government plans to increase security spending to boost the “fighting capability” of the military and other security agencies by hiring more personnel and buying “cutting-edge” equipment.
Tinubu promised to “usher in a new era of criminal justice” that would treat all violence by armed groups or individuals as terrorism, as he allocated 5.41 trillion naira ($3.7 billion) for defense and security.
Security officials and analysts say there is an increasing alliance between bandits and extremists from Nigeria’s northeast, who have in recent years established a strong presence in the northwestern and central regions.
“Under this new architecture, any armed group or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside state authority will be regarded as terrorists,” said Tinubu, singling out, among others, bandits, militias, armed gangs, armed robbers, violent cult groups, and foreign-linked mercenaries.
He said those involved in political or sectarian violence would also be classified as terrorists.
On the economic front, Tinubu hailed his “necessary” but not “painless” reforms that have plunged Nigeria into its worst economic crisis in a generation.
He said inflation has “moderated” for eight successive months, declining to 14.45 percent in the last month from 24.23 percent in March this year.
He projected that the budget deficit will drop next year to 4.28 percent of GDP from around 6.1 percent of GDP in 2023, the year he came into office.
