Women religious in Ireland have lamented their “constant battering” by the media in a submission to the Irish synodal process.

Media reporting is “happy to use women religious as scapegoats for Irish Church and society”, the Irish women religious say in their submission.

“When we feel that it’s ending it comes back again and again like a niggling sore,” the submission reads.

The women religious add that they feel invisible and there is “a sense of being silenced”.

“But silence is seen as condoning the accusations and giving an impression that ‘we’re all guilty’,” the submission continues.

“We are partly to blame for our own invisibility as we appear to have gone underground,” the religious admit.

However, they say it is difficult for women religious to respond, as “any religious who speaks up would be shut down.”