HAWAII
Honolule Civil Beat
Editor’s Note: Civil Beat generally does not use anonymous sources, as noted in our long-standing policy. We’re making an exception here because of the importance of hearing a sexual abuse victim’s perspective, and the fact that court records, including a settlement with the Catholic Church, do not reveal his identity.
“I consider myself one of the lucky ones,” says a man who recently settled a sex abuse case against the Catholic Church.
MG, as he’s referred to in court records that keep his identify secret, says he feels “lucky” because after decades of battling alcoholism, drug addiction, mood disorders and depression, he’s at the point where he can begin to forgive three Catholic priests he says sexually assaulted him when he was too young to stop them.
“To me, it is like they killed the kid in me. There is a part of me that was a kid and he died,” says MG.
On Jan. 21, the Diocese of Honolulu, the Associated Sulpicians of the United States and the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers reached a mediated settlement with MG for an undisclosed amount.
He is one of 63 people who have sued Hawaii’s Catholic Church and the religious orders overseeing parishes and schools, where they allege they were sexually attacked when they were children.
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