A former Catholic nun, Rev. Sr. Anastasia Kinse, has come forward with disturbing allegations of sexual harassment by priests and institutional silence within the Church. She claims that her dismissal from Veritas University, Abuja, and expulsion from her religious order were the result of her attempts to expose sexual misconduct by some clergy members.
Sr. Anastasia, who served under the Auchi Catholic Diocese in Edo State, made the revelations during an interview on Prime Time, a current affairs programme on Arise Television, on Monday.
She said she has video and audio recordings of incidents involving a Head of Department (HOD) at Veritas University, which she believes are clear evidence of sexual harassment. However, she explained that she would not release them publicly due to personal safety concerns and the potential backlash.
“It’s not as if the evidence that I was sexually harassed by a priest does not exist — it does,” she said.
“I have a video and an audio recording showing where the Veritas HOD harassed me. But I cannot put them out there in today’s world, where people are more concerned with dragging names than addressing truth.”
Sr. Anastasia joined the Congregation of Mother of Perpetual Help of the Archangels Sisters in 2015. According to her, problems started not long after, when she began reporting inappropriate behaviour by some priests to her Superior-General and her Bishop.
She detailed several incidents that she said left her emotionally traumatised. One such experience involved a priest she was living near, who allegedly tried to touch her inappropriately when she entered his room.
“I told my superior, and she said I should ignore it,” she recalled.
Another priest, she said, invited her to spend a week with him at his parish, which she declined. In a separate case, she described how a priest wrapped a belt around her waist, saying he wanted to measure her for clothes he intended to buy for her.
“That broke me and gave me a lot of trauma. Instead of getting support, I was told I was always complaining. Eventually, they said I was mad,” she added.
Sr. Anastasia believes that her dismissal from Veritas University and her eventual expulsion from the congregation were punitive measures aimed at silencing her.
She claimed that rather than investigate her complaints, Church authorities accused her of being mentally unstable and sought to isolate her.
“I was labelled as having mental issues because I kept reporting things that weren’t supposed to happen in a place dedicated to God,” she said.
She also criticised the Church’s reluctance to act on serious allegations of misconduct, saying that protecting the image of the institution appeared to matter more than seeking justice.
“I confided in my Bishop and Superior-General about everything. Instead of helping, they made me the problem,” she said.
Sr. Anastasia’s story highlights growing concerns about the treatment of women and whistleblowers in religious institutions. Her allegations also bring attention to the lack of clear accountability structures in cases involving clergy members.
“Imagine a world where someone is harassed, and when they speak up, the response is to cover it up and dismiss them. That is what I went through,” she stated.
As of the time of filing this report, Veritas University and the Auchi Catholic Diocese have not issued any official response to the claims made by Sr. Anastasia.
Her account adds to the global conversation around sexual abuse within religious settings, particularly the long-standing issue of cover-ups in the Catholic Church. While some reforms have been made in recent years, critics argue that the Church still lacks the transparency and structures needed to protect vulnerable individuals, especially women.
Sr. Anastasia concluded her interview by calling for deeper reforms in the Church and more protection for those who dare to speak up.
“This isn’t about revenge. It’s about truth. The Church needs to do better, and I hope my story helps make that happen,” she said.
