Normalization of silence: the disciplinary relationships between sexual abuse and institutional power in the Catholic Church

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33871/22386084.2025.15.28.92-113

Keywords:

Foucauldian Discursive Studies, Disciplinary power, Sexual abuse, Culture of Silence

Abstract

The study addressed the crisis of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, aiming to describe the discursive mechanisms of surveillance and control that, in the wake of institutional and disciplinary power, sustain the culture of silence. To this end, the CIASE Report, which documents cases of sexual abuse involving Catholic priests in France since 1950, was examined to extract enunciative sequences and analyze how the institution manages such cases and regulates their exposure. Through the archaeogenealogical method and concepts of discourse, power, and knowledge based on Foucauldian Discourse Studies, the Church’s disciplinary power was observed, operating a normalizing sanction that prevents the accountability of perpetrators, ensuring the maintenance of authority alongside continuous silence.

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Author Biographies

Izabelle Diniz da Silva, State University of Maringá (UEM)

Ph.D. candidate in the Graduate Program in Letters (PLE) at the State University of Maringá (UEM). Active member of the Interinstitutional Group for Foucauldian Studies (GIEF/UEM) and former member of the Gênese writing group at UEM, where she contributed to the production of the newspaper O Consoante. Holds a Master's degree in language, text, and discourse studies (PLE/UEM), with a grade of 6 awarded by the CAPES international excellence program.

Íngrid Lívero, State University of Maringá (UEM)

Member of the Interinstitutional Group for Foucauldian Studies (GIEF-UEM). Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Portuguese/English Language and Literatures from the State University of Maringá. Master of Arts from the Graduate Program in Letters at the State University of Maringá (PLE/UEM) - Linguistics - Text and Discourse Studies. Ph.D. candidate in Letters from the Graduate Program in Letters at the State University of Maringá (PLE/UEM) - Linguistics - Text and Discourse Studies. Qualified to teach in Early Childhood Education and the Initial Years of Elementary School (Teacher Education); teaches English (basic to advanced levels). Participant in the Gênese writing group that produces the newspaper O Consoante (UEM) (2015-2020).

Cássio Ceniz, State University of Maringá (UEM)

Ph.D. and Master in Letters from the State University of Maringá (UEM), in the field of Linguistic Studies and a research focus on text and discourse studies. Specialist in Press Advisory and Corporate Communication, with a Bachelor's degree in Letters (Unespar) and in Social Communication with a focus on Journalism (Centro FAG). He is a researcher of the Interinstitutional Group for Foucauldian Studies (GIEF-UEM) and a member of the Foucauldian Discursive Studies Working Group of Anpoll. He conducts research from the perspective of Foucauldian discourse studies, focusing especially on the themes: discourse, media, power, resistance.

References

CIASE – COMISSÃO INDEPENDENTE SOBRE ABUSOS SEXUAIS NA IGREJA. Relatório Final da Comissão Independente Francesa sobre Abuso Sexual na Igreja Católica. Rio Grande do Sul: Unisinos, 2020.

FOUCAULT, M. A Ordem do Discurso. 3. ed. São Paulo, SP: Edições Loyola, 1996.

FOUCAULT, M. Arqueologia do Saber. 7. ed. São Paulo, SP: Forense Universitária, 2008.

FOUCAULT, Michel. Vigiar e Punir: Nascimento da prisão. Tradução de Raquel Ramalhete. 42 ed. Petrópolis, RJ: Vozes, 2014.

FOUCAULT, M. Microfísica do Poder. São Paulo, SP: Paz e Terra, 2018.

TAYLOR, D. Michel Foucault: conceitos fundamentais. São Paulo, SP: Vozes, 2018.

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Published

2025-07-31

How to Cite

DINIZ DA SILVA, Izabelle; LÍVERO, Íngrid; CENIZ, Cássio. Normalization of silence: the disciplinary relationships between sexual abuse and institutional power in the Catholic Church. Revista Educação e Linguagens, Campo Mourão, v. 15, n. 28, p. 92–113, 2025. DOI: 10.33871/22386084.2025.15.28.92-113. Disponível em: https://periodicos.unespar.edu.br/revistaeduclings/article/view/10433. Acesso em: 21 apr. 2026.

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 28 (2025): Dossiê: Vigiar e punir 50 anos depois: discursos de vigilância, controle e movimentos de contraconduta

Section

Dossiê “Vigiar e punir 50 anos depois: discursos de vigilância, controle e movimentos de contraconduta”

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Copyright (c) 2025 Revista Educação e Linguagens

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