TEXAS
KENS 5
[with video]
by Sharon Ko / KENS 5
Posted on June 28, 2014
SAN ANTONIO — A priest who was already convicted of attempted rape and the sexual assault of a girl has now been tied to an alleged case of abuse in San Antonio.
Recently, a woman came forward claiming the late reverend Bruce MacArthur raped her when she was a girl in the late 1970’s at Saint James Catholic Church.
The San Antonio director of ‘Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests,’ Barbara Boehland said the victim did not receive any help from the church and instead, reached out to SNAP.
“It takes awhile for people to come forward. It’s a shameful thing. It’s embarrassing. You feel filthy. It takes a lot of courage to come forward and we’re really proud of this person,” said Boehland.
The Archdiocese of San Antonio confirmed it believes the woman’s claim and Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller responded in a statement saying the church hopes “that any members of our community affected by sexual abuse will be encouraged to seek all needed pastoral support or counseling as part of their healing process.”
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