International Conference – Behind the Veil. Analyzing the Hidden Patterns of Spiritual and Sexual Abuse among Catholic Women Religious

When? 26–29 June 2025 | Start: 16:30 on 26 June | End: 13:30 on 29 June 

Where? Großer Sitzungssaal PT 3.0.79 | University of Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg 

Gendered violence in religious communities has been identified as a global problem through multiple public inquiries over the last 20 years – but was ignored for a long time. Recently, attention to the experiences of CWR has identified a significant level of sexual and spiritual abuse, with CWR as both victims and perpetrators of abuse. The conference will address the hidden patterns of abuse by discussing the phenomenon of spiritual and sexual abuse of CWRs from an academic perspective – a first for the world – and will bring together scholars from multiple disciplines. The panels will address themes including CWRs as victims and perpetrators, spiritual abuse as well as systemic factors.   

The first panel will deal with the circumstances under which abuse of CWRs can be discussed at all and will begin with a journalistic and activist approach to the topic. The second panel presents the results of two in-depth empirical studies in which CWRs were asked about their experiences with sexual abuse within religious communities in Africa and Germany. The third panel will discuss issues related to religious and theological traditions and gender aspects and will particularly focus on the topic of spiritual abuse. The fourth panel will discuss vulnerability and vulnerabilities in the communities with a systemic approach. One of the highlights of the conference will be the World Café in the fifth panel, in which all continents will be represented. The sixth panel will address the issue of colonialism, a blind spot thus far, and then turn its attention to topics for future research.