Woman sues Quйbec Catholic Church for silence on rape
Wed, 2008-04-16 13:32
#1
Woman sues Quйbec Catholic Church for silence on rape
Wed, 2008-04-16 13:32
#2
quote:
The Archdiocese of Quebec is refusing to accept responsibility for the actions of a priest accused of rape by a 59-year-old woman who is suing the church.In the latest sexual-abuse scandal to hit the Catholic Church in the province, the archdiocese said in a terse statement yesterday that the priest had been "forbidden to conduct any pastoral ministry" while the case was before the courts.
That did not appease France Bйdard, who was a 17-year-old maid at a parish presbytery at the time of the alleged crime. ...
[I]n the summer of 1966, Ms. Bйdard became pregnant and, when she told Father Therrien, he suggested she have an abortion, the documents say. When she refused, he insisted she give the baby up for adoption. The loss of her son haunted her until she finally decided to look for him, finding him in 1996. ...
In 2005, she contacted the archdiocese and demanded it take action against the priest. After two months of discussions with church officials, nothing happened, so she filed a complaint with police.
Father Therrien was charged in May of 2006 with rape and gross indecency. A court-ordered DNA test proved he was the father of Ms. Bйdard's son.
"By showing themselves unworthy of their moral pretensions, they only add to the suffering of the victims of the sexual crimes committed by their clergy," she said of church officials. "They preach compassion, love and generosity, but act with cold, calculated indifference."
[url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080416.wlawsuit16/B...
Wed, 2008-04-16 14:06
#3
I hope she sues them as well. Deny deny deny is all you get from the catholic church when it comes to their priests raping people. One of my good friends in high school many years ago tried committing suicide because the priest that she was having an affair with decided to break up with her. She was 17 and he was in his early forties. Their love nest was the parish rectory, real spiritual.
Wed, 2008-04-23 22:45
#4
It sounds like a challenging court case.
I mean, she waited thirty years to come forward. What evidence can there possible be. It sounds like her word against his (assuming he has a different version of events).
Sure, the child has his DNA which proves they had sex, but that's really about it.
Thu, 2008-04-24 03:26
#5
quote:
Sure, the child has his DNA which proves they had sex, but that's really about it.
What, did some invisible pink unicorn transfer his sperm into her vagina? Come to think of it, that may be believable to religious types.
Thu, 2008-04-24 03:54
#6
She was not an adult yet (although I don't know what the age of consent was at that time), and even if she was an adult, he was in a position of authority over her, both as her priest and probably employment-wise if she was a maid for the parish.
So whether it was "consensual" sex or a violent rape, it's sexual abuse.
Thu, 2008-04-24 07:55
#7
Ahh, that's a good point.
The age difference, and the position of authority does make a compelling argument.
Thu, 2008-04-24 11:35
#8
Well, the secularists made him do it, according to Ratzinger...
Thu, 2008-04-24 11:47
#9
quote:
Originally posted by Briguy:
[b]Well, the secularists made him do it, according to Ratzinger...[/b]
If she just prayed more everything would be just fine. That was the other message I heard from Pope Rottweiler.