| Project Detail |
A voice for victims of religious abuse in the Roman inquisition
For centuries, women in Mediterranean cities endured horrors within the sanctity of confessional spaces. The voices of victims like Maria Taboni and Margherita Caruana were silenced by a culture of impunity. Despite facing rape, harassment and abuse, they were often blamed and ignored by society and the Church. Supported by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme, the SECS project sets out to uncover these hidden narratives and demand accountability. By delving into inquisitorial records from Mediterranean cities, the project sheds light on centuries of overlooked narratives. From 1600 to 1750, women and children faced sexual violence, even within confessional spaces. SECS amplifies these long-muted voices and underscores the resilience of survivors and their allies in demanding justice.
I did not accuse him because I am his enemy, but because I demand justice. He raped me and then said I should have married his nephew Lorenzo to cover this [the pregnancy] up (Maria Taboni v. Don Gauci).
He groped me, asking for my pubic hair and a pezza [cloth] damped in menstrual blood -I was horrified! (Margherita Caruana v. Don Fabbri).
This work is inspired by all the womens and young girls voices found in the inquisitorial records. They recounted assaults and harassment with vigor and supported one another in seeking justice. They condemned the predatorily actions and the system of impunity; their disturbing depositions convey an outstanding narrative. They show how women can be vocal, and no longer take the blame for sexual violence against them. To date, their voices have been neglected by the historiography on sexual violence and the Church. In Mediterranean cities, women and children often endured sexual violence whilst confessing to their priests. Hundreds of reports about assault and abuse were sent to the Roman Inquisitors between 1600 and 1750. However, what is remarkable is that the survivors, and their families, stood up to the perpetrators and called for punishment, irrespective of the clergymens social standing. Despite the power dynamics at play and the gender roles, women took an active role in defending themselves, both by opening up to their families and, with other females support, speaking up to the authorities. The Inquisition took the denunciations seriously and demanded the culprits be questioned and punished. Unlike what we might expect, mothers, husbands, fathers and friends were overwhelmingly supportive by corroborating the assaults in court. As such, women were able to circumscribe the authority of the Church and its abusive men; they did not endure abuse quietly, they spoke up and demanded justice. |
