The Sexual Economies of Clericalism: Understanding the Positionality of Catholic Women Religious in the Abuse Crisis

Catholic Women Religious (CWR), also known as nuns, are typically considered to be part of the organisational hierarchy of Catholic elites. However, evidence has emerged of CWR as both victims of gendered violence, as well as perpetrators of historical violence particularly against children in Catholic orphanages and parish schools. Hence, potentially they are both marginalised and centralised players in the abuse crisis. This paper will assess the evidence produced via research reports, public inquiries, court cases and social action initiatives and argue that CWR were both victims and perpetrators of sexual, spiritual, psychological and physical violence. Utilising a new and innovative conceptual and methodological framework - the sexual economies of clericalism - repositions the complex subjectivity and positionality of CWR in the Catholic diaspora and goes forward to understanding how CWR were a vulnerable and marginalised cohort with access to limited forms of institutional power.