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	Letters to the Editors Rock River Times September 28 - October 4, 2005 Thanks to Thomas White Editor's note: This letter is in response to Melissa Wangall's five-part series "Emotional Stigmata: Living as the victim of clergy sexual abuse," which ran July 20-26, July 27-Aug. 2, Aug. 3-9, Aug. 17-23 and Aug. 24-30, 2005, in Section B. I would like to commend Thomas White [real name withheld upon request] for having the courage to come forward and share such a painful, harrowing experience. Like Thomas, I, too, have struggled with the horror of sexual abuse at the hands of a trusted person. In many ways, my life has mirrored Thomas'; I have struggled with intimacy, trust, addiction, and self-destruction on a daily basis for nearly two decades. I would encourage your readers to seek the support and counsel of trusted friends, family, physicians, or survivor groups. Telling my story has not completely erased the horror, shame, or pain of the abuse, but it has given me a voice and allowed me to turn my anger and disgust toward the people who really deserve it, instead of turning it inward and destroying myself. To Thomas, I say "thank you," and send him and his family every bit of hope, truth, belief, love, and peace that I can scrape from the recesses of my battered heart. Blessings unto you and yours. J.B. (name withheld upon request) Rockford Re: Emotional Stigmata: Living as the victim of clergy abuse God bless you guys for exposing the evils of pedophilia and the clergy. Our most trusted clergy have traumatized everyone, especially when one is a religious person. It is hard to believe. Who would ever think that our clergy were some of the worst child abusers, rapists, molesters? Please keep up the good work, for the more it is exposed, the less it will happen, for they know that now we are aware of this horrific crime against our children and young people. We must also let our representatives know that we Americans do not want our young children arrested for doing illegal drugs since they are only searching for a way to feel better. They are self-medicating themselves, and you and I cannot blame them. We punish the people who are suffering while allowing the criminals to get away with the abuse and rape. I just read a newspaper article telling how there was an unwritten law to "not arrest priests or religious figures in the Catholic Church since a lot of the law enforcement agents were Catholic." This is very sick. We have sacrificed our children for the clergy who do not follow God, but their own sickness. God is not for child abuse in any fashion or form, and those who think a clergyman is more important than a child is a very sick human being and does not know our GOD! Mary High Rockford
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