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  Wounds Reopened
Victims of a Priest's Sexual Abuse Say the Civil Case Is Breaking Them Down

By Jane Sims
London Free Press
August 17, 2007

http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2007/08/17/4424915-sun.html

Chatham — Carol Ann Mieras had the smarts and the commitment to be a medical doctor.

Her dream died when she walked into a university pre-med physics class and saw a professor who reminded her of Rev. Charles Sylvestre, the Roman Catholic priest who sexually assaulted her when she was a young parishioner at St. Ursula's parish in Chatham.

Her grades collapsed. She lost her faith and her trust in others. She couldn't attend classes taught by a man.

She has refused professional promotions that would have seen her supervised by a male.

The scars of sexual abuse are still close to the surface. The Kingston occupational therapist suffers from depression and has

been in therapy for 17 years.

Being at St. Ursula's Church in Chatham, the church of the late Rev. Charles Sylvestre, is emotionally difficult for these victims of the sexually abusive priest — Tammie McKay, left, Lou Ann Soontiens, and Carol Ann Mieras.
Photo by Ken Wightman

Just when Mieras was starting to heal after Sylvestre was sentenced to three years in prison almost a year ago, she said the scab has been reopened by the approach the diocese of London is taking in her civil action.

"It's clear what this process is doing is trying to break us down," she said yesterday at a news conference attended by many of Sylvestre's victims.

"It's cruel, it's inhumane and it's retraumatizing all of us."

They called on Bishop Ronald Fabbro to step in and persuade the church's insurers to stop the extensive examinations for discovery and psychological tests that force them to relive the nightmares of their childhoods.

The women say the diocese could also drop the insurers and settle the cases with its own assets.

Fabbro committed himself and the diocese to "justice for victims" in a homily at St. Ursula's parish in Chatham a year ago.

Fabbro preached days after Sylvestre pleaded guilty to 47 counts of indecent assault involving young girls over more than three decades in Windsor, Sarnia, London, Chatham and Pain Court.

Sylvestre, 84, died in prison three months into his sentence.

The diocese has admitted liability and eight cases have been settled.

But many victims are finding out settlement conferences have been replaced by discovery sessions — legally permissible interviews investigating the details of the claims — particularly for those who have claimed lost income.

The diocese said in a statement it wants to reach settlements as quickly as possible.

One insurer, the diocese said, has denied it coverage after instructing the church not to admit the abuses or vicarious liability.

But when more abuse is alleged beyond the criminal case and where income loss is claimed, the diocese wants to ask more questions and have independent medical examinations, the diocese's statement said.

"Some of the victims have expressed the fear that they might be put through a difficult process of questioning," the diocese said. "They need not have such fears.

"It was not our intention to inflict additional pain on anyone."

Next week, Mieras is slated to undergo six hours of psychological testing and another nine hours of interviews. She has completed five hours of discovery already. And she has taken a leave of absence from her job because of the stress.

"It became very clear they were looking for something else that went on in my life, some other trauma they could blame my situation on today," she said of the questioning.

Her lawyer, Paul Ledroit of London, said he is ready to set a trial date in January and is confident once the case is tried, settlements will follow.

"If they want a fight, baby, we'll fight," he said.

Tammie McKay of Leamington, who also is facing extensive interviews, called the process "disrespectful."

"I really question why a religious institution isn't setting the standard on how to be respectful."

Contact: Jane Sims jsims@lfpress.com

 
 

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