MASSACHUSETTS
Telegram & Gazette
By Dianne Williamson
Telegram & Gazette Staff
Susan Manter was watching coverage of the Bill Cosby trial last week when the man once hailed as “America’s Dad” left the courthouse in Norristown, Pa.
“We love you, Bill!” someone shouted from the crowd.
The Holden woman cringed. Late last month, she settled a civil case against a different kind of father, a Shrewsbury priest convicted in 2012 of beating her and ripping off her clothes during horrific counseling sessions that dragged on for three years.
The cases involving Cosby and the Rev. Charles Michael Abdelahad are different, of course. Outside the courtroom, Cosby has been accused by more than 40 women in claims dating back more than a half century, virtually his entire career. Father Michael was accused of abusing only Manter.
But both of these men were charismatic, powerful authority figures. Both were immensely popular. Both used their position to violate vulnerable women because they knew no one would believe the victims. And their respected status made it easier to discredit women already faced with the cultural incredulity that comes with cases of sexual assault.
“I watched that and had flashbacks,” Manter said Monday. “I could hear people saying, ‘I love you, Father Michael.’ There were crowds of people supporting him. I can relate to how people try to make the woman the bad guy.”
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