NEW YORK (NY)
Associated Press
December 19, 2019
By Wong Maye-E and Juliet Linderman
December 19, 2019
They came from different towns and cities, from different ethnic and economic backgrounds. They were A-students and outcasts, people of all ages. From their churches they sought love or guidance, a better education or a place that felt like home.
They were believers_before their trust was tested, fractured or blown apart entirely by sexual abuse at the hands of a priest.
For the faithful, the Catholic Church isn’t only a place of worship but the center of social and cultural life, its doctrines and customs woven into the fabric of families and communities. And its priests and deacons are more than holy men but confidantes, teachers, father figures with unparalleled power. To many, they’re the closest thing to God on earth.
For those abused by priests, the violations are spiritual, the damage inflicted not just on the body and mind, but a system of beliefs.
“Their faith becomes a victim of the abuse,” said Marianne Sipe, a psychiatrist and former nun who works with clergy abuse survivors.
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