The Disputed Charity of Catholic Nuns
Dualistic Spiritual Heritage as a Source of Affliction
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14949150 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Annelies van Heijst (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 155-172 |
| Publication date | 2013-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Feminist Theology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0966-7350 • E-ISSN: 1745-5189 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0966735012462841 |
| OpenAlex | W2324555646 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 9 |
In several European countries former pupils of Catholic nuns have made accusations of physical and emotional abuse. Feminist scholars have tended to perceive nuns as heroines because of their authority and their contribution to raising the social status of women. But there is also a darker side to convent education. Committees established by national governments have identified systemic factors leading to abuse in educational institutions. This article argues that these factors should include a feminist theological explanation: a dualistic, sacrificial spirituality underpinned the Rules of charitable orders and influenced the nuns’ blurred understanding of what constitutes humane treatment. Supporting evidence is drawn from testimonies of privileged pupils of convent boarding schools in the 1910s, from stories of ex-nuns who fled the convent, and from nuns who openly acknowledged the problem during Post Vatican II renewal when at last they were able to revolt against their spiritual value-systems
Criminology · Political science · Sociology · Spirituality · Catholicism and Religious Studies · Early Modern Women Writers · Gender Studies · Law · Medicine · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity
| Citations per year | 0.1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2016 - 2016 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |