Forged Letters From The Virgin Mary Encouraged The Assault
Mistress of Novices Maria Luisa wasn't just sleeping with the other nuns: she was also carrying on with one of the convent's Jesuit confessors. When the two met up at night, they shook off suspicion by citing reasons of religious communing.
In fact, Maria Luisa managed to con the confessor into bed using forged letters from the Virgin Mary. Maria Luisa asked a novice, Maria Francesca, to write the holy letters because of her beautiful handwriting, and soon everyone in the convent was following the “holy orders”—including the confessor who jumped into bed with Maria Luisa.
The Confessor Claimed Their Acts Were Spiritual Rather Than Lustful
One of the confessors at Sant'Ambrogio harbored a secret: he was living under an assumed name. He was actually Joseph Kleutgen, an advisor to the pope and a leading theologian. In 1848, Kleutgen began an affair with one of the nuns, and during the Inquisition trial, the confessor admitted that he had multiple carnal encounters with Maria Luisa.
Kleutgen tried to defend himself. Their affair, he insisted, was purely spiritual; not about lust, Kleutgen claimed, but about religion. Even though he confessed, Kleutgen suffered only mild punishment: the Inquisition ordered him confined to a Jesuit house for two years, and he was stripped of any role in hearing confessions.
Sexual Initiation Rites Welcomed New Nuns To The Convent
Maria Luisa introduced some unorthodox practices to new nuns, including sexual initiation rites. Maria Luisa told the nuns that her bodily fluids contained divine blessings, which could be shared during climax. During the trial, Maria Luisa admitted that the "saintly" founder of the order, Firrao, used similar methods to pass on her "miraculous liquor" to Maria Luisa and former novices.
Novices were invited to spend the night in Maria Luisa's cell. If any of the nuns complained about the rituals, they mysteriously took ill and died.