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  Sex Abuse Victim Wants Archbishop to Step down

WPMI [Mobile AL]
Downloaded May 13, 2003

Brian Pierre is the man who first came forward to the archbishop about father Alex Sherlock. "I was having multiple problems as a teenager and I went to him to talk about those problems, and wound up with alcohol, drugs and sex" Pierre tells NBC 15. He says it started in the mid 70's when he was a student at McGill Toolen.

"Turned into a mutated sick relationship. You don't have a normal sexual relationship with a grown man and a 15-16 year old boy. Because we had hard times doesn't make it okay to abuse us." He is referring to an article in Monday's Mobile Register. As part of a 1995 court deposition, obtained by the paper, the archbishop gave his opinion about what kind of emotional or psychological damage would occur to a 14 year old victim of sex abuse. In it he said, "I would want to know something of what the 14 year old brought to the situation prior to that. Is he totally innocent, unspoiled, and pure, or is he somebody who in his own way may have invited or even initiated these kind of -I would not know those things until I knew more of the characteristics."

Brian was appalled by what he read. "To say that I'm less important of a human being because I had troubles. That's not right. It validated everybody's belief instilled in me that I wasn't a good person."

Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb was not available for comment but the archdiocese spokesman said, "I have nothing to add. It was testimony made during a specific court case and I don't know the particulars of which the comment was made."

Brian says he is proof abuse has severe emotional damage. "That spiral began with him. And ended with me finally ending up in jail about 4 years later because it got progressively worse, the guilt and pain and everything else that relationship with him added on." Brian Pierre first reported Alex Sherlock in 1997. Sherlock was dismissed earlier this year, 6 years after Lipscomb confirmed the abuse had occurred. Now Brian thinks it is time for the archbishop to go. He strongly believes Lipscomb should resign from his position.

 
 

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