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After The Attack: The Real Battle
Here’s Why 99% Of Women Will Not Report Abuse
Two weeks ago, I was attacked and held down against my will by an abusive predator, an elderly priest with demonic strength.
Why did I report this? Most women don’t.
Why didn’t I keep silent?
Because I’ve been here before. Not literally attacked and held down by a predator, but I’ve been sneered at, and gossiped about by priests. I’ve been calumniated and disrespected for daring to be chaste. I’ve been insulted for ignoring flirtatious cues from a dissolute priest. I’ve kept silent for too many years. It was time to say, “enough.”
Eleven years ago, my younger son was kicked out of a Catholic church for the egregious sin of having Down Syndrome. The abuse coordinator in the Diocese of Scranton wrung his hands and apologized profusely, but he couldn’t do anything against the entrenched “old boys,” club.
It’s the same “old boys” club I’ve run up against here, in the Diocese of Albany. Of course, they’re busy, these abuse coordinators; in this diocese alone they’re facing some 400 cases. And, since most cases of abuse against women aren’t reported, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
