杏MAP导航

Anne Preckel - Vatican City

Sr. Lembo has studied experiences of abuse of women religious by priests in Africa and spoke about the topic last Thursday (19.6.2025) at the International Safeguarding Conference in Rome. She has written a doctoral thesis on the subject involving victims from five African countries. She cannot say how widespread the phenomenon is on the continent, ‘because there is no quantitative research on the subject’. However, this abuse is a “reality” and must be addressed, says the psychologist: “It is a problem where you have to help, to encourage women to come forward and talk about it or denounce it if necessary. Even if it is not easy.,” she said.

Encouragement

When she was completing her research in 2019, the topic in Africa was a hidden reality. In this context she found it reassuring that 杏MAP导航 Francis spoken publicly about it for the first time. "I was almost at the end of my rope, it was not easy to talk about it. So his words were an encouragement for me to continue. These abuses are a reality that we have to face in the Church, so that the Church lives in truth."

In 2019, the first international summit on child protection was held in the Vatican. Shortly afterwards, 杏MAP导航 Francis issued new regulations to combat the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable persons. In the document “Vos estis lux mundi”, the term “vulnerable person” also includes adults whose volitional capacity or “ability to resist the offence” is limited.

A hidden reality

It took Sr. Lembo years to find a sufficient number of victims for research, willing to talk about their experiences. Not because the victims are few. But because fear and shame prevent many from confiding in someone. In the church and in African societies, sexuality is almost never spoken of. As far as “religious women consecrated to God and considered saints” are concerned, the subject is a serious, double taboo,” says the African sister.

At the request of those affected, Sr. Lembo did not mention the names or countries of origin of the abused nuns: "They were afraid of what would happen to them, their families, their congregation and even their communities. Talking to me, they risked everything to help other women. So no names, I have to respect them.”

Understanding the context

During the interviews, Sr. Lembo heard of “various types of abuse in connection with spiritual accompaniment”: It often starts with the abuse of power, “because there is an asymmetrical relationship between the person providing counselling and the person asking for spiritual guidance or confession”. Some priests had also exploited the economic dependence of the nuns “to pressure, establish or force sexual contacts”. The victims also told the psychologist about physical and spiritual abuse.

Sr. Lembo then emphasises something important: None of the nuns affected had any intention of violating their vows. Abusers often exert psychological pressure on their victims, manipulate or override their will: in such circumstances not only children but also adults, especially in fragile conditions, can become victims. This is also facilitated by the exploitation of labour and the dependence of nuns on priests.

With her awareness-raising work, Sr. Lembo wants to help improve the training of seminarians and nuns. Because if you know the circumstances of abuse, you can change them.

Positive signals

Talking about this subject in Africa today is already better than a few years ago, adds Sr. Lembo. Other African sisters have also started to bring the topic into the Church debate, which is beginning to open up. Recently, the Conference of Major Superiors of Africa and Madagascar (COMSAM) in Zambia called for the African Church to intervene on the issue with transparency and justice.

Moreover, this year, for the first time, representatives of African women's religious orders were invited to represent their interests directly at the General Assembly of SECAM (Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar).

In recent years, many African Bishops' conferences have issued or tightened guidelines for the protection of minors and are raising awareness among priests and pastoral workers on the issue of abuse. This provides a good basis for taking action against the abuse of nuns as well.

“We must go ahead and support all measures taken by the Church in the area of Safeguarding,” says Sr. Lembo, "it is a process."

An irreversible process

In the Vatican, the issue was addressed at the Synod on Synodality last October. The synod called for better protection of women religious against abuse. With regard to spiritual abuse, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith set up a working group to examine it as ecclesiastical crimes. Addressing the issue is an irreversible process, "so that the Church may live in truth."