Catholic Church Explains Pope's Comment on ‘Sexual Slavery’ of Nuns

 

The Roman Catholic Church has sought to explain the “sexual slavery” comment Pope Francis made in connection to Catholic nuns¹.

Francis publicly discussed the reports of sexual abuse of nuns for the first time Tuesday. A reporter asked Francis about priests accused of abusing nuns.

Francis answered, “It’s not that everyone does this, but there have been priests and bishops⁴ who have… And I think that it’s continuing because it’s not like once you realize it that it stops. It continues. And for some time we’ve been working on it.”

Francis also expressed praise for Pope Benedict XVI for taking action in 2013 against abusers in a France-based religious order. Francis said the nuns in that order were subjected to “sexual slavery” by the founding priest and other clergymen.

Roman Catholic Church spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said Wednesday that Francis “spoke of ‘sexual slavery’ to mean ‘manipulation’ or a type of abuse of power that is reflected in a sexual abuse.”

In the past year, The Associated Press and other media have published stories about reports of abuse of nuns in India, Africa, Europe and South America.

The International Union of Superiors organization represents Catholic female religious orders. In November, it denounced the “culture of silence and secrecy” that prevented nuns from speaking out about abuse.

It also urged nuns to report abuse to their supervisors⁵ and to police.

I’m Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

nun² - n. a woman who is a member of a religious community and who usually promises to remain poor, unmarried, and separate from the rest of society in order to serve God

priest - n. a person who has the authority to lead or perform ceremonies in some religions and especially in some Christian⁶ religions

bishop³ - n. an official in some Christian religions who is ranked higher than a priest and who is usually in charge of church matters in a specific geographical⁷ area

manipulation - n. the act of dealing⁸ with or control (someone or something) in a clever and usually unfair or selfish way

type - n. a particular kind or group of things or people

reflect - v. to show (something) : to make (something) known

1 nuns   

n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句

2 nun   

n.修女，尼姑

参考例句：

• I can't believe that the famous singer has become a nun.我无法相信那个著名的歌星已做了修女。
• She shaved her head and became a nun.她削发为尼。

3 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

4 bishops   

（基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象

参考例句：

• Each player has two bishops at the start of the game. 棋赛开始时，每名棋手有两只象。
• "Only sheriffs and bishops and rich people and kings, and such like. “他劫富济贫，抢的都是郡长、主教、国王之类的富人。

5 supervisors   

n.监督者，管理者( supervisor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think the best technical people make the best supervisors. 我认为最好的技术人员可以成为最好的管理人员。 来自辞典例句
• Even the foremen or first-level supervisors have a staffing responsibility. 甚至领班或第一线的监督人员也有任用的责任。 来自辞典例句

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

8 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。