The founder of a women’s magazine linked to the Vatican’s official newspaper and its entire editorial board have resigned after denouncing the Catholic Church inadequate response to cases of sexual abuse of nuns.
“We are throwing the towel because we feel surrounded by a climate of distrust and progressive de-legitimisation in which we do not perceive respect and appreciation for us to continue our cooperation,’’ Lucetta Scaraffia wrote in a letter to Pope Francis.
Her letter, dated March 21, was seen by dpa on Tuesday.
Scaraffia, an Italian church historian, was the editor of Women Church World, a monthly supplement to Vatican daily L’Osservatore Romano.
It was founded in 2012 with the support of former Pope Benedict XVI, Scaraffia said in her resignation letter.
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In the February issue of the magazine, she wrote about abused nuns.
“If the church continues to close its eyes to the scandal made even worse by the fact that abuse of women brings about procreation and is therefore at the origin of forced abortions and children who aren’t recognised by priests the condition of oppression of women in the church will never change,’’ she wrote.
In response to Scaraffia’s article, Francis acknowledged that the sexual exploitation of nuns at the hands of priests was “a problem.’’
“It’s not something that everybody does, but there have been priests and even bishops who have done it,’’ he said. (dpa/NAN)
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