In a new book titled “Ancelle” (Handmaids), sociologist Marco Marzano sheds light on the often-ignored lives and struggles of consecrated women within the Catholic Church. Historically, the experiences of nuns have been marginalized, as seen when a previous Vatican investigation into the abuse of religious women by clergy members was quickly sidelined and its authors replaced.
Marzano’s unprecedented sociological investigation seeks to break this silence by giving a voice to the complex and sometimes painful realities these women endure. Through thirty-nine in-depth interviews, the book restores a sense of human concreteness to nuns who are frequently stereotyped in purely devotional terms.
The collected stories reveal a surprising and deeply contradictory universe marked not only by spiritual dedication but also by rigid hierarchical power dynamics and systemic community tensions. Marzano addresses critical issues including strict obedience, interactions with male clergy, and concealed forms of abuse and suffering. Ultimately, the investigation highlights how these systemic difficulties impact vocational crises and calls for a broader reflection on women’s roles within contemporary Catholicism. https://www.unionesarda.it/en/nuns-the-silence-broken-fmhjtefq
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