why are nuns so cruel

"I had a panic attack - I thought I was having a heart attack. "I didn't want money. The Irish Examiner newspaper, which has investigated the finances of the religious orders involved in running the laundries, says they owned assets in 2012 of 1.5bn euros ($1.9bn, 1.2bn). The Sisters of Mercy taught the girls at her high school; the boys were taught by the Christian Brothers. But trying to be perfect always is enough to make anyone go a little crazy. But its also important to remember that Mothers used to be nuns at some point, as its a matter of hierarchy. It was so tragic. While your doing that, tell any stories of nuns that you might have. Six years ago, Joseph Currie was wandering past Nazareth House in Aberdeen, the place where he, too, spent his childhood. God is Love, Sister Mary Juanita Barto told Finnegan as she repeatedly raped her in classrooms at Mater Christi High School in Queens in the late 1960s. Iam writting a family book about our family from as far back as I can go. She was three or four years old. I said, 'No, this is about crimes against children.' They know what a 'broken heart' feels like and the betrayal that goes with it. We did all the work in the convent, cleaning the windows, scrubbing floors, doing the laundry and washing out the bathrooms. Awesome teachers and kind OR 2. I believe in God, though". In her 2014 memoir, Split: A Child, a Priest and the Catholic Church, Dispenza details the sexual abuse she endured at the hands of a Catholic priest in the gritty East Los Angeles neighborhood where she grew up. Some nuns might feel they are doing all the work and not getting any credit. "It could happen for any thing, any time of the night or day. 'Is it money you're after?' The allegations stretch back as far as 50 years and are as recent as the 1970s. Not once did the nuns ask why I was off school or what was wrong with me. Money would never take away what happened - God's representatives on earth behaving in such an appalling manner." It is a Christian duty, for your greater glory, not theirs. I couldnt speak, I couldnt move.. Terrified, I remember holding out my hand thinking an adult would take it. Unexplained-Mysteries.com "You could get hammered for anything. "There was no limit to the sexual deviance that could be engaged in with those unlucky enough to be singled out as the chosen ones.". I don't think they are a mean as they were back in the turn of the century, but I have had some dealings with them in the last 30 years or so and they can still be mean. He is a fast-talking, busy man, a retired postman, "a bit of a cheeky chap, straight to the point", he says of himself. It was a form of mental torture.". Archbishop Conti has strongly denied Currie's claims, indeed he denies that he ever, "either in the context of confessional or outside the confessional, received any complaint of any kind of abuse relating to the care of children in Nazareth House". See Details 2.Why were Irish Nuns so Cruel? His childhood memories of the orphanage are filled with emotional and physical terror. Why are Nuns so mean? We've received your submission. This can lead to a lot of unresolved issues, and these issues can eventually turn into anger and resentment. with all the other girls looking on. And then I just remember leaving. I just want to try to understand it. To this day, she doesn't know what had so alarmed him - all visits were patrolled by nuns who remained in the room, like sentries. They said there were no records of her presence. The Nuns had been punishing this boy for not doing his chores and on that fateful night he was murdered by the Nuns. by Kelly Many Guns , June 28, 2021. But the fact remains, why were nuns so cruel? So we swapped our sheets for her, rinsed the wet one out and went to dry it on the radiator. This is not the work of an obsessive, he says, just typical of an orphan. The retired telephonist has never forgotten the summer of 1955 when the children of Cardonald Nazareth House in Glasgow went to Aberdeen on an exchange. Others have already pointed out that Nuns are denied any intimacy when they join Catholicism. "We've had a lifetime of being accused of being liars and cheats, searching for a pot of gold." Thank God they chose the nuns. Today it is different, but I believe the stories I have been told. Police are also investigating after lawyers representing former residents passed on relevant files. | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples Why? My Grandmother has told me many stories of the evil nuns. "Violence was an intrinsic part of the culture of these institutions," O'Sullivan says; they were committed to the "destruction of will". 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. ", Punishment was perpetually lurking: "You never knew when or what. For years after he left in 1967, he tried to put the place out of his mind. Its not easy to live up to such high standards. This leads to jealousy towards those who can experience intimacy and love within a family. The walls were in a gothic mansion called Nazareth House, an orphanage in Aberdeen where Aitken was dispatched when he was six. One of the nuns said: 'You watch you don't get blood on your dress or you'll catch it.' What gives? 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. I'd come out and all the other boys would be laughing." FOR MORE than 100 years, the Poor Sisters of Nazareth cared for children in the order's dozens of homes across Britain. First off I'd change that to SOME nuns, not all. There is an exception, of course, for when Nuns Are Mikos. You'd hear their footsteps but you didn't know who they were. "I had three sons with my second husband. (9 Reasons Why). In the 1960s, when he was in his 30s, he sought help. "They'd come round the beds and make sure you were in the right position - flat on your back with arms crossed out of the covers (otherwise you'd be touching yourself). After we pray, we shake hands, but one woman refused and said I was bringing the church down. Mealtimes, predictably, were the occasion of routine power struggles between nuns and children. Just because you are married doesn't mean you don't find another person attractive or have great chemistry with someone. I was in bed by 7pm and they used to check you were asleep with your hands across your chest. One of its principal purposes was to provide an opportunity for persons who had suffered abuse in childhood in institutions to recount that abuse, but it also had extensive investigatory functions. These emotions can eventually turn into anger and resentment. Victims now have until age 55 to file civil suits and can press for criminal charges until age 28. After all, we all have our own crosses to bear. Now the Sisters of Nazareth - the order also has houses in Australia, South Africa, the United States and Ireland - are the subject of an international campaign to call them to account for a regime of violence. Above all, they tell of a complete lack of love in institutions where bewildered children could not comprehend why they were being treated in such a way or why their families had left them in the hands of the nuns. Cusiter became one of the former inmates whose evidence initiated the unprecedented criminal prosecution in Scotland in autumn 2000, when Sister Alphonso, appearing as Marie Docherty, was convicted of four charges of cruel and unnatural treatment. Its this unattended rage they live with. This can lead to a lot of stress and anxiety, leading to nuns taking their frustration out on others. A retired telephonist living in an elegant Glasgow apartment block for senior citizens recalls that "several of the children were force-fed. 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. Grampian police advised her to get a lawyer and began to interview other residents, crosschecking dates and names to verify the growing archive of allegations against the order. Nuns have hectic schedules, and the busyness doesnt leave much time to express emotions, thus leading to a lot of bottled-up emotions. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? "My sister and her friend Betsy Owens were playing with a beach ball. 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.". 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. No prayers. Then you'd choke and the food would end up on your plate again and she would force-feed you your own vomit. My mother went to Catholic school as a child back in the 1950's. This kind of behavior applies to nuns, as well. Cases are being compiled in England, too, though there seems to be some reluctance to prosecute physical abuse. Right to her death, Mum kept saying, 'If only I hadn't got ill.' She thought it was her fault. Well, I don't think that humans are meant to live without any intimacy; physical or emotional. They were always calling us guttersnipes or scavengers and seemed to enjoy humiliating us. It's their power mania. After leaving Nazareth House, the six were never again in the same room together. This can lead to a cycle of cruelty thats hard to break. This expectation can be quite a burden and lead to nuns being critical of others. Photographer Valeria Luongo 's long-term project explores the daily life of nuns at the Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary convent in Rome. He had lost his family, and letters from his siblings and his mother were never given to him. They may feel they are missing out on something essential and wonder what could have been. The papers showed a copy of a newspaper photograph of Aberdeen's Nazareth House. Cusiter says she was force-fed: "She'd be pulling your head back, then she'd hold your nose so you couldn't breathe, until your mouth opened, and she'd shove food in. Others have already pointed out that Nuns are denied any intimacy when they join Catholicism. ", In the pre- and post-war period, orphans were often sent to homes run by religious orders, such as the Sisters of Nazareth. Narcissistic people may also be quick to anger or lash out at others, which can make them seem mean. Another inmate, Helen Cusiter, returned to Nazareth House six or seven years ago, to visit a woman who was working there. I'll also never forget her abject cruelty. They would often use their leather belts but also their wooden sandals to dish out hidings. Currie had likened some of his childhood documents to a diary, but the archbishop insists, "only three sheets of paper were found, two containing aspirations Joseph had listed for himself and the other listing the timing of the Benny Hill show on TV". Orphans, abandoned babies and children deemed uncontrollable or accused of petty crimes were all put in the hands of the nuns who, to the outside world, epitomised kindness and compassion. The Mother Teressa took him to the creek behind the dorms and drug him through the cold water until he died. This was their holiday. Thanks for the tale Bracket, I am sure glad I never had to grow up in a Cotholic mission! "It's this unattended rage they live with. Nuns can be cruel for a variety of reasons. "We were skivvies, basically. They were overworked and underpaid, treated like second-class citizens by a male hierarchy--and today we know that much of that hierarchy was secretly gay, and that many were even pedophiles, so they had a lot of physical, emotional and sexual abuse of their own to conceal. Why Are Nuns So Cruel? Nun of Monza by Giuseppe Molteni. By using this site you consent to our use of cookies as per our, People who don't know how to weep with their whole heart, don't know how to laugh either. Dad didn't want us, nobody loved us, no one took care of us." First off I'd change that to SOME nuns, not all. Nuns with leather straps hanging from their waist beside their rosary beads. No one would believe how bad it was. ", Her younger sister has never forgotten that day: she could scarcely swim, but managed to grasp a long log. That started from the moment I went in there. 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. Cusiter fled home from that meeting with the nun. I think the average age for priests and nuns in the US today is like 70. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. "One cold winter's morning at about 6.30, when I was about 11, I was kneeling in church saying my prayers when I sneezed. Sheriff Colin Harris ordered that several other charges be rejected and said that he would only admonish, rather than imprison, her because of her age and her health. Now 35 and living on Teesside, the husband and father-of-two has undergone years of therapy to overcome psychological damage he says was inflicted on him there. I am just wondering why. Some nuns are just following the example set by other nuns. She was even too nervous to enter her office at a Long Island convent. Sleep was routinely interrupted by their constant checks for children wetting their beds and the beating that followed. There are times when its hot outside, and the last thing you want to do is dress in heavy clothing. He remembers Nazareth House as dour and cruel. It was only later I realised that you didn't bruise so badly there. 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. Instead of fetching a doctor they kept me in bed and surrounded me with hot water bottles. Its not easy to grow up in an abusive or neglectful home, which can lead to trauma and emotional damage. If you did it wrong, you got a clip." Never has been and never will be. 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. She fell, he was told. Abuse is only broken when the cycle stops. Their father didn't stop them: "I thought there was nobody. In 1981, the school became the co-ed St. Johns Prep. Mrs Guerrier, who is now 73 and lives in Tottenham, north London, said: "The nuns were extremely harsh. "I left the faith as a direct result and don't describe myself as a Catholic anymore. "I need answers, not just about Betsy but about the whole damned thing. But there was worse to come. He ran away constantly, and in his early teens one of his older sisters, then living in one room, took him in and tried to take care of him. The current limit on cases before that date is being challenged in the courts, and members of the Scottish parliament are mooting a change in the law. Archbishop Conti has not only accused the victims of seeking pots of gold, he has told them that, "on your part, there is a need to forgive". "I was passed to the child abuse unit at the age of 39." It's easy! As . I thought maybe he'd do something about it. "I told a doctor about the nuns. Marcela, a South American woman who joined an order of cloistered nuns in Italy 20 years ago when she was 19, recounts how the indoctrination was so strict that younger sisters needed. There was nothing unusual about it. IN THE early Seventies, six-year-old Simon Taylor (not his real name) was admitted to Nazareth House in Middlesbrough after his mother had a nervous breakdown. I felt terrible all over again.". Sexual abuse leaves scars that last for life, she wrote on the blog. He had put a cross by one of the windows in the eaves. Girls abused by nuns often speak of the psychological and spiritual damage done to them, stolen childhood and adolescent years of friendships, dates, dances, and often God. The Poor Sisters of Nazareth were founded in the mid-19th century in Hammersmith, London, to take care of the young and the old. After graduating high school in 1969, Finnegan struggled to deal with the abuse and tell her story, but her efforts fell on deaf ears. For being late for prayer. Despite the childhood rapes by the priest who was trusted by her family Dispenza decided to become a nun, only to be faced with similar abuse from a superior sister while she was a novitiate. 'sparing the rod' has nothing to do with punishment ..the rod mentioned in the bible was from the early times of agriculture & farming ..the oxes that pull the plough in order to stay on a straight line had the person with a long stick (called a rod) ..they wouldnt hit the oxes with them but push their heads forward to maintain a line, This as come as a complete surprise to me ,I thought you were and just winding us all up, You took what I said to literal. If you were lying on your side, you'd be yanked back. "The nuns never believed I was deaf. Boil until it thickens, add a cup of new milk, turn into a double boiler, and cook again for twenty or thirty minutes. An official inquiry has found that Sisters of Nazareth nuns subjected children to vicious abuse, humiliation and at times sexual assault of "utmost depravity". Your post was so full of hate & sarcasm Im surprised you havent been banned what you wrote was absolutely inexcusable. These days the nuns look after old people. One of the questions I have is for the Catholics of the forums. When the retired telephonist recently began to make inquiries about Betsy Owens, the order responded by denying any knowledge that she herself had ever been there that summer. "My feet were so badly swollen I was kept off school for three days and two other girls had to join hands to carry me up and down the stairs. Finally, they will have a chance at justice, she said. The violence in the orphanage didn't seem exceptional to her, just part of life. It was only 30 years later, when other Nazareth House survivors began to speak out about their experiences, that his childhood and its bleak effects could no longer be dismissed as his imaginings. Now, decades later, more than 500 former inmates are suing the nuns for damages. So theres hope in breaking this cycle completely, thus decreasing the cruelty that some nuns display. This woman wouldn't say sh** if she had a mouth full. He wasn't prepared to accept that it was the truth. Her father took the child to the local priest "to explain what he'd discovered and how angry he was for his children, but the priest never took it up". Dispenza, 78, has fought for more than two decades for justice for victims of clergy abuse and plans to take her fight to the Vatican on Monday. "You couldn't talk to the nuns in a jokey or friendly way. Neither woman could understand why there was so much cruelty, with Mary saying: "They were nuns and educated and took up their vocation to go in there for prayer and looking after us. The only subject of conversation was who was for it next. She was obsessed with me 24 hours a day, Finnegan, now 67, told The Post. It was just the routine.". There is the cruel nun (The Magdalene Sisters), the anti-fun nun (Sound of Music) . There was real hate there. "He sat, feet on the table, and said there were several options. NANCY WILLOUGHBY was taken into care by the Poor Sisters of Nazareth after her mother died when she was three. I know that they are supposed to be married to god and suchbut when you are married to a guy that is never around, doesn't talk to you, sets up impossible rules, and never has sex with youwell you would be cranky too. Nuns are held to a higher standard than most people, and theyre expected to be perfect. We found nine reasons that may shock you. This can lead to frustration and a feeling of being trapped. This may be qualified in cases of alleged institutional abuse because there is sometimes a chain of corroboration. He was put in Nazareth House when he was two. Many of those alleging physical, and to some extent sexual, abuse are now elderly people who say their entire lives have been affected by what they endured as children. One of them was my sister. NEW YORKAs a growing number of Roman Catholic dioceses across the United States investigate child sex-abuse claims against clergy and are releasing the names of priests accused of such crimes, another hidden problem has begun to surfacenuns who sexually abuse children. "But girls were beaten every day. "The horrifying thing was that being hurt by implements was bad enough, but to see a holy person, a righteous person with - I don't want to exaggerate - a face full of hate, an angelic, holy face turning into a face of horror, a woman crunching her teeth in hate, going berserk, screaming while you are pleading for mercy, the wee leather boots just booting into you. She said, 'I was young at the time and I was just following orders.' We want them gone immediately, she said. (9 Reasons Why), Why Are Customers So Rude? Many were young and pretty, and though maybe they were kind in their first few weeks, they soon became much the same as the rest. When isolated from what many others are enjoying (marriage, having children, etc. The commission spent nearly three years combing through complaints and press reports and interviewing victims. The girls were told to change into their swimsuits while the nuns huddled together in a beach hut. All we want is for the Catholic church to change its ways and let us live in peace. Contrast Naughty Nuns. Wrong.. See more. To learn more, you can also read our posts on why 911 operators are so rude, why judges are so rude, and why cops are so rude. (11 Reasons Why), Why Are Vegans So Entitled? She was wacked in the hand a lot with a ruler. Its not easy being a nun. But it was off. I haven't taken a drink for more than five years," he says. He sent the envelope to Cameron Fyfe, a Scottish solicitor, with a note naming the boy with whom he had shared that room. When Finnegan finally summoned up the courage to confront Sister Mary Juanita in the early 1990s more than 20 years after graduating high school in 1969 she found herself tongue-tied. Golda Meir, One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain. The group has heard from 35 people in the last several days who claim they were physically and sexually abused by nuns, said Dispenza, a former nun who claims she was abused as a young girl by both a priest and a nun. This vow means they will not have sex or engage in sexual activity, leading to frustration and feeling trapped. They would use canes, sticks, the leather belts around their waists. It was work, work, work. A man who came in as a volunteer to help bath the kids started molesting me in the bath and in the toilets.". On the mantelpiece there is a fading photograph of him in a grey bow tie with the queen of the Eurovision Song Contest, Katie Boyle. There was no record of Betsy after that incident, nothing. Strain if necessary, season with salt or sugar, and serve. Only my opinion of course, but I'd blame it on a lack of physical and emotional shenanigans with members of the opposite sex. Try to be understanding and compassionate. ), it wouldn't be hard to see why some Nuns are high-strung. 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. She and her group are demanding the pope help victims of nun abuse and fire anyone who has covered up crimes by Catholic clergy. Many nuns produced religious literature and music, the most famous amongst these authors being the 12th century CE abbess Hildegard of Bingen. The one thing that I have found from talking to them and from past stories they have told me before they died was the Nuns of the Caotholic Missions were always mean and abusive to the children. This mission is still in use today and as far as I know they have not slacked off of the punishments. Nuns used to be cruel; that much is true. Thomas Paine, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13JK5kChbRw. ", The Edinburgh lawyer representing Nazareth House, Dr Pamela Abernathy, insists, "No one still alive who was intimately connected with Nazareth House at the time has any recollection of such an incident, nor are there any records of the death of any child during that period.". Any child caught speaking native was punished. I felt she took relish out of that. We rose at 5am, did the cleaning chores, then got dressed, got breakfast and then went to school. If not you got another whacking. In most movies, nuns are seen as strange recluses from society. She was overwhelmed by shame - ashamed of leaving other children behind, of failing to protect them from harm. Therefore, trying to live a perfect life is both impossible and unnecessary. FARINA GRUEL. Women Religious orders are very closed systems, more so than the priesthood. The group refused to put the issue on the agendas of their annual meetings, Dispenza told The Post. She has never consulted lawyers, nor sought compensation from the church. "The only thing I learned to do there was fight, and when I come across a nun today I avoid them because I cannot be civil. This can lead to nuns being quite resentful toward Mothers. "I held on tight but the waves kept dashing me against the wood and my leg was badly gashed. Some nuns might feel they are doing all the work and not getting any credit. Thanks to all for your replys, I think the hammer has found the nail on this perhaps. Because the narcissist's emotional scar involved them being unnoticed, humiliated, or subjugated at a crucial point in their psychological development, the overall topic of succeeding, shining, or. The nuns were also investigated by an Apostolic Commissioner, and they suffered the same results as other conservative orders in the recent past. "You were thrashed about the feet, head and hands, you had your hair pulled and your head bounced off the walls. In vain, they'd find their father, but before long the police would turn up to take them back. None the less, there have been scandals and debates within the church about the ill-treatment of children for decades. "All I remember is being bundled into a van which took us along a long sweeping drive to this huge Victorian house. Coming from a guy who feel he has the right to condemn, criticise and berate the practice's of nearly two billion people, have you been given Carte Blanche on this board? In the words of one man who had been put into a home after being abandoned by his family: "Some people say to me, 'Well, that's what it was like everywhere then', but it wasn't. For messing about in church. The priest to whom he made his confession, he says, was Father Conti. I have not found many "nice" stories about nuns. Before pushing me in the nuns told me there was a mouse in there and I went totally hysterical. Dozens of former residents of homes in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Midlothian and Kilmarnock claimed they had suffered vicious beatings and sexual abuse. Vera lived at the home with her two sisters from the age of six months until she was 17 years old. The children were beaten regularly and the nuns were never really nice to them. An unexpected encounter with one of the nuns she'd known when she was at the orphanage - Sister Alphonso - changed her life. Nuns are often women who don't have much (if any) maternal instinct - To enter a life where you not only aren't supposed to have sex with anyone else but where you also cannot bear children of your own requires a person who has limited amounts of maternal instinct for them to be successful. But in her collection of personal records, there is the evidence: a telegram adorned with top hats and lucky horseshoes, addressed to her at Aberdeen's Nazareth House on August 3, 1955, saying, "Happy Birthday Darling, from Mummy." It was born out of a fascination with the women who choose . I said no." I spent a lot of time scrubbing floors or cleaning shoes. House Dems want White House to hand over Trump-Putin meeti Haribo fans shocked to learn green gummy bear flavor: 'Calling the police', Woman fatally shot by upstate NY homeowner after pulling into wrong driveway: sheriff, Yuengling takes apparent jab at Bud Light with conspicuous tweet, Pump Rules alum Billie Lee exits Tom Sandovals home in same clothes from night prior, Robert Kraft, Meek Mill to march in Poland to fight anti-Semitism, Janet Jackson chokes up talking about son Eissa with Today, Larry Brooks previews seventh playoff series between Rangers, Devils, Even AOC Cant Believe Netflix Crashed During Love Is Blind Live Reunion, Viewers pan Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos' 'brutal' first 'Live' show together. There is, in this context, an absence of any recognition that tenderness should be the norm in relations between adults and children.". "Looking back, I think one of the reasons was that the nuns weren't happy and decided we damn well weren't going to be either. 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? Currie took Cameron Fyfe, other lawyers and Nazareth House officials to the building, to the locked door of his former bedroom. The nuns were terrible.". Sex with children is a crime, but "reasonable chastisement is still a lawful reason for inflicting pain on children," explains David Spicer, a barrister and former chair of the British Association for the Study and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.

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