IRISH priests have hit out at the way nuns who operated industrial schools, mother and baby homes and orphanages in Ireland are being portrayed in the media.
The box office hit Small Things Like These starring Cillian Murphy tells the story of a man who saves a woman from abuse at one of Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries.
The film – which is tipped to be nominated for an Oscar for Murphy’s performance – has reopened the conversation about the horror of abusive religious institutions in Ireland.
However, the Association of Catholic Priests has now condemned the way nuns are being vilified in the media despite the good work that a lot of nuns have done in Ireland.
They claim that nuns who lived hardworking lives for no financial reward are afraid to make their voices heard due to the abuse they believe they will receive.
In a statement, the group said they are “speaking out in protest at the way nuns are being portrayed.”
They said: “The cultural context of the times is rarely, if ever, mentioned. Society judges the past harshly while media outlets seek to outdo each other in condemnation.
“Religious sisters are vilified; a harsh hard-faced nun, dressed in traditional habit, has become the standard media image of all nuns. It is false and unjust.
“Those who are still alive are mainly elderly women. We know them and the hurt they experience by this portrayal.
“The reality is that most have lived quiet, hard-working lives with a minimum of financial reward.
“In the current atmosphere they are afraid to make their voices heard, knowing the abuse that would be showered on them from many, many quarters.”
Without specifically mentioning any film or media outlets, the priest organisation talked about the coverage of nuns running industrial schools, orphanages and mother and baby homes.
