Behind the veil: nuns. Pt. 2.

Canada, 1984

Film
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Part 2 of an in depth look at the history and influence of the largest all female, communal organisation in the world. The film spans the twenty centuries since Jesus’ birth as well as the pre-Christian climates from which Christianity has evolved. This film reviews the few exceptional periods in history when women wielded power in religious life - in pre-Christian Celtic religions and during the era of the great abbesses of the Middle Ages. Their paintings, inventions, tapestries, books and manuscripts are eloquent testimony to their achievements. However, with the revival of misogynistic theories that females were unsuitable to perform priestly functions and not worth educating, these achievements were soon dismissed. Women were excluded from universities for the next eight centuries. Today, women are openly questioning the Church’s male hierarchy and seeking some measure of influence in Church decisions. In Part 2 some of today’s activist nuns speak about their convictions and the need to redefine the Church to combine spirituality with global politics.

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Credits

director

Margaret Wescott

co-producer

Kathleen Shannon

Signe Johansson

production company

National Film Board of Canada

Duration

01:07:00:00

Production places
Canada
Production dates
1984

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If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/78446--behind-the-veil-nuns-pt-2/ |title=Behind the veil: nuns. Pt. 2. |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=8 December 2024 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}