PITTSBURGH (PA)
South Hills Community News
December 4, 2018
By Karen Mansfield
Survivors and parishioners stood patiently in a single line at St. Thomas A’ Becket Roman Catholic Church in Jefferson Hills to tell their stories and share their anger following the release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report on clergy sexual abuse.
The listening session Dec. 3 was the second of four organized by the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh in an effort to provide a safe place for those in the church, including victims and members of the Catholic community, to begin the healing process.
Bishop David Zubik sat quietly near the altar and listened as survivors recounted details of sexual abuse at the hands of their parish priests.
Jim VanSickle, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse, said he is continuing to heal, 37 years after the abuse and that it negatively impacted his marriage and his relationship with his children.
“I stand here to tell you it’s OK. I’m healing. But it’s been 37 years,” he said.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.