African nun slams bishops on abuse at Vatican summit

An African nun told Catholic bishops on Saturday to acknowledge the church’s hypocrisy in its handling of the sexual abuse crisis, and a cardinal admitted case files had been destroyed.

In clear, direct and unsparing language, Openibo challenged the church's culture of silence on sexual issues and said priests are too often put on pedestals. Openibo also criticized the practice of letting elderly clergy who had abused children to retire quietly with their pension and good names in place.

"Let us not hide such events anymore because of the fear of making mistakes," Openibo said after reading a searing summary of abuse cases she has heard about during her work on sexual education in Nigeria.

"Too often we want to keep silent until the storm has passed! This storm will not pass by. Our credibility is at stake."

In calling for "zero tolerance," a policy whose definition appears to vary widely among Catholics, Openibo echoed the calls of dozens of abuse survivors gathered for protests and vigils on the streets of Vatican City this week in Rome.

The African nun addressed the Pope directly as "Brother Francis." Openibo said she admired his candor and willingness to admit mistakes he made in evaluating the claims of Chilean abuse survivors about a notorious priest who was defrocked last year, and the bishops who covered up his crimes.

"Thank you for providing this opportunity for us to check and see where we have acted strangely, ignorantly, secretly and complacently," she said.

Openibo also thanked the Pope for allowing her to address the assembly of 190 Catholic leaders, 114 of whom are bishops and cardinals from around the world. About a dozen of the participants are women, most Superiors General of religious orders.

"Usually it is just the men who come," Openibo said with a smile.

She spoke of her shock when she watched the 2015 Oscar-winning film Spotlight, which uncovered how Church leaders in Boston moved predator priests from parish to parish instead of defrocking them or turning them over to civil authorities.

“At the present time, we are in a state of crisis and shame. We have seriously clouded the grace of the Christ-mission,” Openibo said.

The conference ends on Sunday when the pope will make a final speech. The Vatican says it will formulate follow-up measures to make sure all bishop return home knowing how to put anti-abuse procedures into place.