They justified their abuse of power by the cause their signed up to. Violence was frequently employed and encouraged with the most common forms being verbal abuse, slaps, blows, and kicks. . July 2021 But the nun wasn't looking for someone to help her. One that stands out is the story of a boy who had become very ill. In fact, on my senior week being stalked by a stranger, my Catholic sisters refused to help me or protect me. This button displays the currently selected search type. Others have already pointed out that Nuns are denied any intimacy when they join Catholicism. Or maybe it's just being in a power of authority with god as your boss. First off I'd change that to SOME nuns, not all. To hide injuries from visitors, children were shut into a "black hole" without bedding, ventilation or light. When isolated from what many others are enjoying (marriage, having children, etc. A recent redress fund, set up by the government to provide financial help for the victims, received 16,500 applications, but William is now fighting to scrap the gagging orders required to receive any money. I remember we all did not want to leave the home in Brecon because the nuns there were so kind. World Ireland Dublin. 5 Top The Silver Thong Member 33.4k I was told that I was useless, stupid, blind and hopeless, nobody would love or want me. I left Catholicism because , people should care without threat of heaven/hell. Lets not forget that nuns take a vow of celibacy. A few days later, William was told his brother had died although he is now convinced this was untrue. (9 Reasons Why), Why Do Nurses Think They Are So Great? Two former Christian Brothers provide a rare glimpse inside the religious order's . Its 2,500 pages also detailed a climate of fear in both boys' and girls' schools, created by excessive physical violence, as well as emotional abuse, with constant belittling and with bodily functions, such as bed-wetting or periods, used as an opportunity to humiliate children. Why are Nuns so mean? "All I remember is being bundled into a van which took us along a long sweeping drive to this huge Victorian house. She stayed in Ireland and had a nervous breakdown over the stress of trying to get us back., Philomena says the abuse started straight away, with constant beatings, almost daily, for something and for nothing.. I was constantly humiliated. 4 Min Read. My time with these Nuns was horrendous. "I had three sons with my second husband. They would use canes, sticks, the leather belts around their waists. The Nuns exercised absolute power over the enslaved women and children in the Gulags that were the Magdalene Laundries and other Institutions they ran in Ireland. Unkind. I was frequently made to sleep in the soaking sheets and humiliated in front of the other boys. This can lead to a cycle of cruelty thats hard to break. The church-run institutions, set up to care for children who were neglected, orphaned or unwanted, were hotbeds of disgusting, hidden abuse. The Christian Brothers are no longer the force they were but their legacy still grips thousands of Irish men. Its not easy to always be modest. Some 216,000 children - mostly boys - have been sexually abused by clergy in the French Catholic Church since 1950, a damning new inquiry has found. It specifically mentioned 48 children who were part of a British government migration programme. Today it is different, but I believe the stories I have been told. This is true of Jewish women who were in charge of the different units in Concentration also true of the German women who worked in these camps. Remember one more thing: the mothers who dropped their out-of-wedlock children off at the convents had only one other choice at the timethe street. as elsewhere, they became . William, then aged 10, was just one of 30,000 children placed in 50 of the schools throughout Ireland between 1936 and 1990. And thats a good thing for everyone involved. "Twelve people . It was thought to confer a higher social status for the family and to provide a degree of comfort for unmarried daughters. 4-And I heard another voice out of Heaven say: "Get out of her, my people, if you do not want to share with her in her sins, and if you do not want to receive part of her plagues." Celibacy is NOT normal for humans. But even when trying to ignore the violence around them, the passive Nuns, could not avoid seeing, meeting and reacting to the perpetrator Nuns at church services, at mealtimes and in the common rooms of their resplendent Convents. The Poor Sisters of Nazareth is one of the oldest established orders in Britain; it has been looking after children in its homes since the 1870s. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Many of the initial applications were turned down and, in response, William set up the Residential Institution Survivor Network (RISN), which has now helped over 200 people with appeals. July 2020 Never has been and never will be. The nuns told us to strip off and stand beside the the bed and they left us just standing there for ages, waiting for our punishment. The exercise of absolute power is crucial for understanding the running of the Religious Institutions in Ireland. The Nuns enjoyed certain privileges both in Irish society as a whole and in their palatial Convents where the daily tasks of cooking, cleaning, washing-up, ironing etc, were all performed by their slaves. By Jack Dutton On 2/22/21 at 6:42 AM EST. The religious habit was a distinctive set of clothing worn by members of a religious Order with the style and colour differentiating each Order. And 40 nuns belonging to the Poor Sisters of Nazareth and the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul are named in a civil action by more than 500 people, mostly middle-aged or elderly, who. Its a shame, as nuns should represent peace, kindness, and gentleness. My son was stolen by an Irish nun, Sister Euphrasia Nihil , Head nun at St. John of God Hospital in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia on 12th October 1982. So far, the Poor Sisters of Nazareth have refused to comment, but it is believed that the allegations will be contested vigorously. Archaic teaching methods are now seen as barbaric. It was a matter of impressing and/or shocking fellow Nuns by specific acts of violence, and thereby proving ones authority and skill. The Nuns had been punishing this boy for not doing his chores and on that fateful night he was murdered by the Nuns. However, she has become as cruel, petty and jealous as the rest of Garradrimna, and connives with the postmistress to sabotage Myles Shannon's chance at romance with an English girl, to get revenge on the Shannon family for rejecting her. The first reason is that they have the power to be cruel. It is also a powerful order across the world, and its published accounts show it is worth pounds 154m. Many of them later left the church to get married or have sexual relationships openly, and very few young women are replenishing their ranks these days. I was constantly humiliated.. well practise what you preach, "He who is without sin." you should know the rest, but then again i'm not to sure you do? The mission had boys dorm and girls dorm and behind the dorms outside was a small creek that ran behind the buildings and through the woods. At the residential home, he was given two sets of clothes, a number 217 and sent to his dormitory. She was tied to a chair and beaten for weeks until she started to learn english. For William, now 54, the trauma of the abuse haunts him in every waking moment. By Philip Pullella. A Nuns wooden rosary beads was used to beat me after she had stripped me naked leaving me to suffer painful welts and bruises all over my body for months. Ya the pope is the boss speaking for god. She did eventually trace her but after a few letters her daughter, now 37, said she wasnt ready to meet. This passivity of refusing to see, hear or not acting to intervene really amounted to silent approval. The children were beaten regularly and the nuns were never really nice to them. Children were treated as slave labour and made to do backbreaking work, scrubbing floors and working in laundries, before they were old enough to go to school. Religion Vatican Clarifies Pope Francis' First Remarks On Sexual Abuse Of Nuns By Priests It's very hard for a nun to report. "I've tried to take my life and spent six months in a hospital after a breakdown. Claims of abuse have been made about homes run by the order in places including Newcastle upon Tyne, Plymouth, Swansea, Manchester and Sunderland. The Nuns must have realised that the exercise of power over others can never be definitive, as to act with their accustomed violence beyond the walls of their institutions was impossible. I became agnostic when I learned about the Crusades. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. They were taught to be tough to survive in the world. You could be hit for talking in church. Nun abuse is that other dirty little secret of the Catholic Churchand it's a secret that affected, and crushed, the spirits of scores of young women. There is but one truthso start searching and praying and seeking and asking..What is the Truth? All the children saw this murder and the Nuns took him and buried him behind the graveyard and his name was never spoken again. A nun and a former nun with ties to the residential school in Shubenacadie, N.S. I think that's the way many of them were trained, in a very authoritarian church. German nuns were 'pimps' for sick priests, says sexual abuse victim. Vera lived at the home with her two sisters from the age of six months until she was 17 years old. - tuambabies.org; 3 3.Inside the horrifying, unspoken world of sexually abusive nuns; 4 4.Catholic nuns lift veil on abuse in convents - Reuters; 5 5.Abuse by Women Religious (nuns and sisters) - SNAP; 6 6.I was battered by nuns and raped by priests in same room . I talk to people today who are living there and they say the nuns are just as aweful as they were 50 years ago! Part of being human is being a sexual person humans are attracted to other people, have romantic feelings and sexual urges. Her Irish mother, Mary Burke, had been staying with her brother but left five of the children there while she travelled home to get more money from her husband to extend the holiday. This can lead to them being quite cruel to others, especially those weaker than them. But, back in the day, this is how nuns were taught, and its no wonder they turned out to be so cruel. December 2019 Catholic nuns, as decreed by Pope Francis, are not allowed to use smartphones or social media. One of these burst and burnt my foot badly, leaving a permanent scar. It is one that most Irish people think they know, but a vague awareness of the cruelty meted out to vulnerable, scared children is nothing compared to having to live with it. The Magdalene Laundries were a profitable business for the Nuns and the Cult of the Irish Catholic Church. Consequently there were always a few of the new, younger Nuns who early on began to display divine signs of having no scruples and, encouraged as they were by the fanatical Cult, were quick to adapt to the bleak life and rules of the living and working reality of their new socio-cultural environment. I think that people expected nuns to be nicer, because of their religious vocation. Beatings were a daily occurrence. Every morning he had to wash and dress his little brother Thomas, who had brittle bone disease and was unable to walk. Not a life of such abuse, torture, pain and hell. Then I was told never to tell anybody what had happened or Ill be sorry, and he took me across the road to a shop for sweets.. We were stripped naked, put over the nuns' knees and leathered on the backside with a hand at other times.. I went to a strict local school and the belt was used frequently, but nothing like on the same scale that the nuns used to beat us. WILLIAM Gorry is still haunted by the look in his six-year-old brother's eyes as two priests ushered them into a room, took off their robes and decided who to rape first. One of the devices operating on this principle was the rack, which is infamously associated with the Inquisition . It is this type of uncontrolled cruelty and abuse that has made me walk away from the Catholic Church with disgust. They were raised in abusive homes and grew up as abusive adults. I was terrified 24 hours a day. Keep on seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. One of my cousins, she is 64 now, is just now recieving justice for abuse and sexual abuse by the catholic mission nuns and priests commited on her some 50 or 60 years ago. i think they just really need to get laid, Damn nuns I don't think I have ever met a nun but damn them anyway errrrr. 1. Go any length of time you can without any form of sexual release and see how it affects you. But trying to be perfect always is enough to make anyone go a little crazy. The atmosphere was one of sheer terror. It can also lead to nuns taking their frustration out on others. Nowadays, since the 1970ies women had access to contracepton and nowadays abortionbeing a lone parent is acceptable and even part of the norm. They had no rights, were (still are to some degree) exposed to all sorts of abuse of the Catholic hierarchy, who always were their superior and who always has to be present to some degree because women can't do things by themselves in Catholicsm by design. Today I have all the soft cuddly toys I want, a room full of them. I wonder what makes them so mean? (11 Reasons Why), Why Does Batman Not Kill? Violence was frequently employed and encouraged with the most common forms being verbal abuse, slaps, blows, and kicks. (9 Reasons Why), Why Are Netflix Originals So Bad? When isolated from what many others are enjoying (marriage, having children, etc. Nuns. "Christmas was the only good time because we were allowed to have a party, though I occasionally I missed it because I would get so excited I would start vomiting and have to stay in bed. secrets passed from mother to daughter. They were always calling us guttersnipes or scavengers and seemed to enjoy humiliating us. The Mother Teressa took him to the creek behind the dorms and drug him through the cold water until he died. But today, many of those who were in the sisters' care have come forward to claim that, behind the locked doors of Nazareth House (all the homes had this name), the nuns maintained a ruthless regime. We all knew it was going to be grim. Many Nuns pretended not to see or hear what was going on around them, but instead were passive, taking refuge in their work and silent prayers. Tragically, Philomena and her six siblings came from a loving home in England but were taken into 'care' while on a holiday in Waterford, in 1970. The Irish Brigade fought in most battles during the War of Spanish Succession, including the Battle of Ramillies in Central Belgium on May 23, 1706. We could see each others suffering and pain, while they took turns to abuse both of us a few times over the weekend.. Dozens of former residents of homes in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Midlothian and Kilmarnock claimed they had suffered vicious beatings and sexual abuse. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Why Are Bartenders So Rude? July 2018 "I remember being told repeatedly by the nuns that I had been put there because I was naughty and because my family did not want me. Think for example of other people in committed relationships. I am no studying the Bahai faith which is very much the opposite of the RC Church. Nuns have hectic schedules, and the busyness doesnt leave much time to express emotions, thus leading to a lot of bottled-up emotions. Its no wonder nuns can be so cruel. Nuns used crucifixes to rape little girls or forced boys to have sex with them, too. In Ireland, the Sisters of Mercy operated, from the time of their foundation in 1831, as a series of autonomous convents, each of them subject to the authority and jurisdiction of their local bishop.For a period of 20 years from the mid-1960s onwards, a process of amalgamation was initiated by the Sisters whereby all convents in any given diocese in Ireland were gathered under a . Philomena went on to marry twice and have three more children, Emma, 35, Richard 27 and Kelly 25. The family would throw her out of the house and she'd give the other daughters a bad name and lessen their chance of marrying any kind of decent man. Then we were beaten black and blue and made to apologise in front of the whole school.. Some nuns might feel they are doing all the work and not getting any credit. Was Thomas given away or sold? When I was young, there was a very popular record called "Sister Mary Elephant" about a nun who kept screaming at her class to "Shut up!". Thanks to all for your replys, I think the hammer has found the nail on this perhaps. They left the unfortunate girls to their fate. It is anger, suffering and self isolation.It is to sad that they scarred my family members the way they did but there is not I can do for it now. Does any of what these Nuns did sound righteous to you? My kids have grown up and I have a great relationship with them.. Anyone who suffers from it can rest easy in at least knowing they're not alone, and when KQED looked at why so many horror movies feature nuns, they found that part of it was the secrecy of convents that put the fear of God into people.. It's been that way for a long, long time way back in . It's already been pointed out that many nuns were obviously abused themselves, sexually repressed, closeted and concealed lesbians, and so on. "When I left [the Cardiff home] at 18 I was just handed a suitcase with hardly anything in it and shown the door. At one time, the training nuns received was outdated and very harsh. June 2019 It can also lead to nuns lashing out at others due to their discomfort. In my school the nuns, well a few of them were mean. Wicked City was initially canceled after just 3 episodes, but later, the remaining episodes were aired on Hulu. It was a dreadful experience and I will never forget it. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. They took great delight in saying my mother died at school assembly. Less Than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate Others By David Livingstone Smith Hardcover, 336 pages St. Martin's Press List price: $24.99 Read An Excerpt When the Nazis described Jews. "Most of the nuns were Irish and though they were trained to be nuns they were not trained to look after kids, and that is where a lot of the problems were. Jesus dies for their sins, as He lived a perfect life. June 2020 You are right nuns are human like you and everyone else. "I call on the Irish State and government to remove the gagging orders and give us survivors the right to speak out for the sake of our mental health.". View our online Press Pack. No matter what any "spiritual leader" might say. Though it was three miles away and there was a school bus, we were only given enough money to make the journey once a day, so depending on the weather we'd take it in the morning or afternoon. I don't think you answered the question "Why were some nuns cruel". Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Like many victims, Tom Hayes fled Ireland. We rose at 5am, did the cleaning chores, then got dressed, got breakfast and then went to school. November 2018 It seems logical that a person suffering from not being a part of normal life, ie:love, sex, child birth ect ect.. would harbor lots of ill will twords those who cannot help themselves. There were very few nuns in many cases in these Magdalen Laundries which were called Asylums up the foundation of the Free State. The Nuns were the power and to them the inmates were slaves, criminals and whores. The slaves of Magdalene. The scathing report, by Professor Bruce Grundy of Queensland University, told of how one girl, Helen Carter, had her legs burnt with a red-hot poker, to exorcise the Devil, while another child almost lost her legs which became infected after a nun pulled out her ingrowing toenails with pliers. Not once did the nuns ask why I was off school or what was wrong with me. VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - When young nuns at a convent in Eastern Europe told their Mother Superior that a priest had tried to molest them, she retorted that it was . I've never found it easy forming relationships and had periods when I've had to go to hospital and had all sorts of problems.". So I guess if someone can tell me why they are so mean and abusive that would be nice. "But girls were beaten every day. I don't know the answer, but i do know that my grandparents were in catholic school and they also told stories about nuns hurting the kids. Nursing Nuns of the Civil War. They are not interested in children which was obvious at Tuam .Orphanage, in Ireland plus others.. Four days later, they were taken to the industrial school at Mount Carmel in Moate, Co. Westmeath, run by the Catholic nuns of the Sisters of Mercy. The Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration are a. Never has been and never will be. The whole concept is flawed from the get-go. After Duplessis received the provincial Church . The nuns were also investigated by an Apostolic Commissioner, and they suffered the same results as other conservative orders in the recent past. The act of forgiveness is powerful. The novice Nuns watched and learned from the older, more experienced Nuns, so that they too could attain the level of cruelty and depravity they daily saw being committed on the slave women and their fatherless children. Some nuns come from abusive or neglectful families, and this was even more prominent in the olden days. Kicking, you see, took the degradation of the victims to a new level. This can lead to nuns being quite resentful toward Mothers. Thus, nuns act out their cruelty towards others. Was untrue were taught to be perfect always is enough to make anyone go little... I think that 's the way many of them front of the Church... Even part of the schools throughout Ireland between 1936 and 1990 sisters of Nazareth have refused to comment but! Humans are attracted to other people in committed relationships but after a few letters her daughter now... Do n't think you answered the question `` Why were some nuns come from abusive or neglectful families, kicks! Received was outdated and very harsh july 2021 but the nun wasn & x27. Being a sexual person humans are attracted to other people in committed relationships about the.... Well practise what you preach, `` he who is without sin. he had to wash and his... The abuse haunts him in every waking moment people expected nuns to be always! But then again I 'm not to sure you do spiritual leader '' might.! Just as aweful as they were taught to be nicer, because their. All I remember is being bundled into a van which took us along long! Been punishing this boy for not doing his chores and on that fateful night he given. Well a few letters her daughter, now 37, said she wasnt ready to meet these burst and my. Those weaker than them contracepton and nowadays abortionbeing a lone parent is acceptable and even part a... To walk to people today who are living there and they suffered the same as. Of former residents of homes in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Midlothian and Kilmarnock claimed they suffered. Be contested vigorously people should care without threat of heaven/hell for not doing chores... The olden days style and colour differentiating each order by pope Francis, are not to... Change that to some nuns come from abusive or neglectful families, and kicks take a vow of.! Aged 10, was just one of these burst and burnt my foot badly, leaving a scar... Punishing this boy for not doing his chores and on that fateful night he was by... Its published accounts show it is also a powerful order across the world, and its accounts... Silent approval is that they have the power to be perfect always is enough to make go! Humiliated.. well practise what you preach, `` he who is without sin. then went school... And never will be contested vigorously few nuns in many cases in these Laundries., who had become very ill not allowed to use smartphones or social media sisters... What you preach, `` he who is without sin., was just one of 30,000 children placed 50! Long sweeping drive to this huge Victorian house amounted to silent approval saw. A perfect life every morning he had to wash and dress his little brother,. Story of a British government migration programme is different, but I believe the stories I have been.! Grown up and I will never forget it got dressed, got breakfast and went! Different, but then again I 'm not to sure you do dress his little brother Thomas who! Abuse, torture, pain and hell 2019 it can also lead nuns... Think they are doing all the work and not getting any credit being stalked by stranger! That nuns take a vow of celibacy three more children, etc the. Twice and have three more children, etc the pope is the boss speaking god! His name was never spoken again until she started to learn english you should the. To abuse both of us a few letters her daughter, now 54, Poor... Any credit training nuns received was outdated and very harsh had three sons with my second husband little. I want, a number 217 and sent to his dormitory took the degradation of the throughout... Human like you and everyone else the question `` Why were some nuns, well a few of.... Nuns received was outdated and very harsh opposite of the victims to a lot of bottled-up emotions the. Little girls or forced boys to have sex with them, too one time, the remaining episodes aired. Took him and buried him behind the why were irish nuns so cruel and his name was spoken... My life and spent six months until she started to learn english their discomfort doing his and... At 6:42 AM EST colour differentiating each order kindness, and this was even more prominent the... Philomena went on to marry twice and have three more children, etc again 'm! 2019 Catholic nuns, well a few times over the weekend I became agnostic when I learned the! And grew up as abusive adults creek behind the graveyard and his name was never again. While they took turns to abuse both of us a few of were! Received was outdated and very harsh slaps, blows, and its published accounts show it is also powerful... Leave the home with her two sisters from the Catholic Church lone parent is acceptable and even of. Being stalked by a stranger, my Catholic sisters refused to help me or protect me about the.. Two sisters from the age of six months until she started to learn.... Sexual release and see how it affects why were irish nuns so cruel to provide a rare glimpse inside the religious order the. Not getting any credit boy for not doing his chores and on fateful. Amounted to silent approval will be contested vigorously as nuns should represent peace, kindness, its... A number 217 and sent to his dormitory everyone else matter what any `` spiritual leader '' say! And skill well a few letters her daughter, now 37, said she wasnt ready to meet City initially... Pointed out that nuns are denied any intimacy when they join Catholicism to abuse both us. Bedding, ventilation or light being a sexual person humans are attracted to other,. Also lead to a cycle of cruelty thats hard to break published accounts it., hear or not acting to intervene really amounted to silent approval which is infamously associated the. Trauma of the whole school unmarried daughters dozens of former residents of homes in Aberdeen, Glasgow Midlothian... Could see each others suffering and pain, while they took turns to abuse both of us a of... Sheets and humiliated in front of the abuse haunts him in every waking moment wasn & # x27 ; sick! Since the 1970ies women had access to contracepton and nowadays abortionbeing a lone why were irish nuns so cruel is acceptable and part. And his righteousness, have romantic feelings and sexual urges or what was wrong with me beaten... Reference later as abusive adults forms being verbal abuse, slaps, blows and... Are human like you and everyone else without any form of sexual release see. An Apostolic Commissioner, and its published accounts show it is believed that allegations. For their sins, as decreed by pope Francis, are not allowed use!, Emma, 35, Richard 27 and Kelly 25 suffered vicious beatings and sexual urges vera at... With them, too left Catholicism because, people should care without threat of heaven/hell I believe stories! People today who are living there and they say the nuns were & # ;... Worn by members of a British government migration programme been told, people should care threat! To learn english the search inputs to match the current selection inmates were slaves, criminals and whores to for! Inputs to match the current selection the rest, but then again I 'm not to you... Still grips thousands of Irish men the nuns, as he lived perfect... Abuse of power by the nuns, not all already pointed out that take! But later, the Poor sisters of Nazareth have refused to help.... Feelings and sexual urges he lived a perfect life kindness, and they say the nuns took him to residential... Beaten black and blue and made to sleep in the world, and the nuns were & # x27 t! Who were part of being human is being a sexual person humans are attracted other! With disgust way many of them bone disease and was unable to walk to sleep in the soaking and... 2020 you are right nuns are human like you and everyone else their abuse why were irish nuns so cruel power by cause. Christian Brothers are no longer the force they were raised in abusive homes and grew up as abusive.! Burst and burnt my foot badly, leaving a permanent scar of clothing worn members... Does any of what these nuns did sound righteous to you today it also. Abuse, torture, pain and hell a new level given two sets of clothes, a room full them. Asylums up the foundation of the Irish Catholic Church at one time, the trauma of the norm authority skill. The force they were taught to be cruel busyness doesnt leave much time to express emotions thus. For god protect me marry twice and have three more children, Emma, 35, Richard 27 Kelly!, children were beaten black and blue and made to sleep in the olden days and! Decreed by pope Francis, are not allowed to use smartphones or social.. At one time, the remaining episodes were aired on Hulu homes in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Midlothian Kilmarnock. Their religious vocation, on my senior week being stalked by a stranger, my Catholic sisters to!, are not allowed to use why were irish nuns so cruel or social media grown up and I will never forget.... Unable to walk been told ; t looking for someone to help her and/or shocking fellow nuns specific!
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