VANCOUVER (BRITISH COLUMBIA)
B.C. Catholic
August 29, 2020
By Agnieszka Ruck
Although the Archdiocese of Vancouver isn’t commenting on a proposed class-action lawsuit, a statement says it hopes “the attendant publicity will help give any other victims/survivors the confidence to come forward and get the help they deserve.”
A proposed class-action lawsuit filed against the Archdiocese of Vancouver claims the archdiocese was “systematically negligent” in protecting parishioners from abuse by clergy.
“The Archdiocese was aware of the abuse and allowed the abuse to continue. The Archdiocese was also complicit in silencing survivors, who were required to take oaths of secrecy when making complaints to the Archdiocese,” the claim states.
The plaintiff, a woman identified as K.S. in court documents, alleged she was abused by a priest at St. Francis of Assisi Parish when she was about 11 years old. The documents say she has had no contact with her abuser since elementary school and “remains terrified of priests and the power of the Archdiocese.”
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