Vancouver's Catholic archbishop apologizes for churches 'betrayal' to 26 abused children

NEWS 1130
November 24, 2019

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The Catholic Church's representative in Vancouver is confirming 36 cases of sexual abuse by priests since 1950.

Vancouver’s Catholic archbishop is apologizing for the trauma suffered by at least 26 children who have been betrayed by the church.

A letter written by Michael Miller is being read at churches within the Greater Vancouver area Sunday.

On Friday, a 12-page report from the Archdiocese of Vancouver named nine priests convicted or accused of abuse, dating back to 1950.

Five men convicted related to the report include, Paul J. Blancard, George Gordon, John McCann, Harold McIntee and Alfred Frank Louis Sasso, but not all five have spent time in prison.

Lawrence Edward Damian Cooper and Antero Sarmiento are two men who were the focus of lawsuits which are now settled, and Edwin Budiman and John Eason are two others names in public cases.

The report found 36 cases of sexual abuse, and that 10 of those were “consensual” relationships between adults “likely to be abusive” because of the imbalance of power.

26 cases were identified as sexual assault of children in Vancouver.

Miller says in a letter preceding the report that even though the brutality of the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults is a widespread tragedy, it has taken the Catholic Church around the world far too long to address its devastating consequences.

“This past year, guided by divine providence, we have studied and learned more than ever before about the pain suffered by you, victims/survivors of clerical sexual abuse in our Archdiocese,” he says in the message.

“I realize that no expression of regret can repair the horror of what happened. Although nothing can undo the wrong that was done to you, I nonetheless wish to offer each of you my heartfelt apology for the trauma, the violation in body and soul, and the sense of betrayal and abandonment by the church that you feel.”

The report included 31 recommendations on how to prevent crimes like these from ever happening again within the church.

The recommendations were made to “take concrete steps to prevent abuse, address it when it happens, and prevent cover-ups from ever happening again.”

Better training for staff to prevent abuse, storing all files in a central location and setting up a victim support office early next year, and mandatory performance reviews for all priests are some of the recommendations made.

An anonymous phone tip line to report abuse was implemented in September by the Archdiocese of Vancouver.

It also calls for a Canada-wide registry for any clergy credibly accused of abuse.

“I invite and encourage any victim/survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of anyone assigned to ministry in the
Archdiocese of Vancouver to come forward and report the incident,” Miller says.

“It is our responsibility to walk with you and provide for your psychological and spiritual well-being and that of your families.”