UNITED STATES
The Worthy Adversary
July 21, 2017 Joelle Casteix
This week, a lawyer for the Claretian Missionaries announced that Bruce Wellems was forced to petition the Vatican to give up his collar.
That’s right. He can’t be a priest.
For those of you who have been following this blog, that’s huge news. But for this person, it’s vindication:
That’s Eric Johnson. Bruce Wellems was 15 when he sexually abused seven-year-old Eric. I don’t say “allegedly,” because Wellems has admitted it.
Eric has been fighting for years to expose what happened to him and to get some semblance of justice.
According to the Chicago Tribune:
“I could have chosen to remain anonymous, but I did not, which was not easy for my family nor myself. Yet I continue to push for justice,” [Eric Johnson] said. “[Wellems] is a danger to the kids and the community.”
Wellems contends that his good work since the time he abused Eric should make up for his past. But here’s the rub: Not once has he apologized for what he did to Eric and/or may have done to others. Not once has he understood the lifelong pain that sexual abuse causes victims.
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