The submission of Irish female religious to the recent Synod in Rome backs up claims by the Association of Catholic Priests of an unfair portrayal of nuns in the Irish media.

Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Cloyne priest Fr Tim Hazelwood, said that religious sisters have become the “fall-guy” for all of the ills in society during a particular period in history.  “All of us have worked in parishes where sisters have worked and know the reality and we’re upset at the way they’re being portrayed,” he said.

Irish nuns themselves have said the same thing.

In their submission to Rome, the nuns said: “Today, religious life is given a lot of bad press, with a particular focus on the past, and as women religious many of us feel hurt and challenged in a very deep way.  Most media reporting seems happy to use women religious as scapegoats for Church and society.”

They added: “There is a sense of being silenced, but silence is seen as condoning the accusations [referring to the abuse reports] and giving the impression that ‘“we’re all guilty.”’

The report adds: “What can be done? It is difficult for women religious to respond, as we believe “any religious who speaks up would be shut down.”