A nun has revealed she has been abused and “spat at” in the street, saying she doesn’t feel “respected”.
Sister Gabriel, from Arundel, West Sussex, who has been living a ‘cloistered’ life as Sister Clarice for 30 years, spoke about her life of celibacy and the prejudice she has faced.
speaking to LADbible TV The sister spoke about a terrifying moment on a train when she was “verbally abused” by a group of football fans.
She explained: ‘I’ve been spat on. I don’t feel respected because I believe we should treat every person with respect, courtesy and kindness, so even if people have hurt us, I wouldn’t want to retaliate in that way.
“Sometimes people can be prejudiced when they see me on the street if I’m wearing a habit, but sometimes I think maybe it’s because they’ve had a bad experience with church and they want to take it out on someone wearing a habit.
‘I have to accept that by wearing this habit I represent the church.
‘I try not to take it personally, but yes, I have been verbally abused on the street, because of my religion.
She added: “A month ago I was very, very, very scared, I was on a train going from Chester to London, a whole group of football fans were getting on a train to go to a game.
‘I have no problem laughing, I don’t even mind being made fun of because they’ve done it before on the train, and I can even laugh at myself.
“But it’s very, very scary if you’re alone and you have a group of people surround you and start singing to you, and in a kind of aggressive, non-physical way, and that can be quite scary.
‘It was absolutely terrible. It was so terrible and they were drunk, you see, it was alcohol induced, but I mean, what they said was just indescribable. But here we go. It’s life, right?
Elsewhere Sister Gabriel was asked what she thinks about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and she said she was “deeply saddened” by it.
She said: “I’m ashamed of that and I’m sorry, and I’m deeply saddened by that, and I really pray for people who have been abused by people in the Catholic Church and I hope they are heard.” and beware.”
Sister Gabriel, from Arundel, who has been living a “cloistered” life as a Poor Clare sister for 30 years, revealed she had been abused and “spitt on” in the street, saying she doesn’t feel “respected.”
Meanwhile, Gabriel was asked if nuns drink alcohol, to which she replied, “They certainly do.” The answer is yes. And if you want to ask me what my drink is, it’s a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale.
The sister later opened up about her love life and said that just because she is now celibate doesn’t mean she hasn’t been in love before.
She said: ‘I had a life before I became a nun. I went to university, I fell in love, you might even be surprised to know that some nuns have liked men while they were nuns.
‘Because you are a nun, it does not mean that you are not a sexual being and that you do not have a sexuality. I am not a bland woman who has no feelings or emotions. Of course I liked a man.
He added: “It can be difficult to be celibate. I think at different times in my life it has been more difficult than at other times. But I think my capacity to love grows and grows and grows, and it expresses itself in a different way. But it can be a challenge.”
Speaking to LADbible TV, the sister spoke about a terrifying moment on a train when she was “verbally abused” by a group of football fans.
Elsewhere in the candid interview, Sister Gabriel revealed that at times she has “questioned” her commitment to God.
She said: ‘I don’t think I regret it, but I have questioned it and I think that’s part of the journey, because I think when I entered the monastery at 23, I was a different person to who I am now. .
‘I think in every walk of life, whatever life you live, you have your ups and downs, and I think it’s important to question the life you’re living.
“I think… it was Freud who said, ‘An unexamined life is not worth living,’ so I’ve thought about it, but I don’t regret it.”