Pope Francis[COLOR=rgba(2, 20, 31, 0.85)]
admitted earlier this year for the first time ever that the [/COLOR]
clerical sexual abuse[COLOR=rgba(2, 20, 31, 0.85)]
of [/COLOR]
nuns[COLOR=rgba(2, 20, 31, 0.85)]
by priests and bishops was a far bigger problem than the church previously had conceded. Some sisters, he said, have even been kept as sex slaves suffering years of unthinkable abuse.
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In February, the Vatican magazine Women Church World published an exposé that uncovered hundreds of stories of nuns being forced to have abortions and, in some cases, secretly raising their children in nunneries and pretending they were orphans. The entire editorial staff of the magazine quit a few weeks after the issue came out because of what they described as ambivalence about the problem among the men of the church.
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But as Sister Federica and other present and former women religious interviewed by The Daily Beast point out, the question of sex in the sanctuary is not always one of victimization. What is certain is that it is complicated.
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Celibacy is seen as one of the most important sacrifices a priest or nun makes for the church. Nuns consider themselves married to Christ. Rather than taking a human spouse, they devote themselves to God. But many nuns face a daily challenge trying to keep their vows and their faith.
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The Virgin Mary, with her perpetual chastity despite giving birth, is an impossible role model to follow, made more difficult by the fact that women in the Catholic Church are supposed to be vessels for childbirth. Sex, so long as it’s within the marriage, is strongly recommended, but being open to procreation is the only acceptable purpose.
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Homosexuality has long been taboo in Catholic life—at least in theory—[/COLOR]
though not always in practice[COLOR=rgba(2, 20, 31, 0.85)]
. Pope Francis has made modest gains in acceptance of gays—but only to a point—and one that always falls short of full recognition on issues like same-sex marriage. He readily admits a [/COLOR]
gay priest lobby[COLOR=rgba(2, 20, 31, 0.85)]
within the church hierarchy, but he has never gone so far as to discuss “sisterly love” at all.[/COLOR]