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	Plantiff Says He Wants to Save Catholic Church New Waterford Native Explains Why He Has Filed Class-Action Lawsuit By Nancy King Cape Breton Post June 28, 2008 http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=148036&sc=145 SYDNEY — Ron Martin says he's not out to get the Catholic Church, he's out to try to save it. This week, Martin filed a class-action lawsuit against the Diocese of Antigonish claiming it failed to protect the children in its care when it became aware of sexual abuse by some of its priests, and also names the Roman Catholic Church and a church official. Martin was a 12-year-old children's choir member at St. Agnes parish in New Waterford when he claims he was abused by Rev. Hugh Vincent MacDonald. For years, the only person Martin told about the abuse was his wife. Then, in 2002, his brother David committed suicide, leaving behind a note disclosing he had also been abused by MacDonald when he was an altar server. Martin had never known about had happened to his younger brother. "I went through a tremendous amount of guilt because of that — I thought, what if I had said something years ago?" Martin says. "I've taken a long time to work through that guilt and now I'm not going to own that guilt. That guilt belongs to the people who were responsible for all of this. "I had to identify my brother's body and I promised him that I would see justice for him and for everybody else." David's revelations launched a police investigation that resulted in the laying of 27 charges, involving a number of complainants, against MacDonald. He died in 2004, before the case could go to trial. The lawsuit, which contains allegations not yet proven in court and was filed under Nova Scotia's new Class Proceedings Act, involves claims that MacDonald and several other priests sexually abused children in their care between 1962 and 2008. While some survivors of abuse by priests turn away from the church, that wasn't the case for Martin. He describes himself as a very active Catholic, serving as a eucharistic minister and lector, folk choir director and in other roles. "That's been the most difficult thing, because I feel I'm sitting on both sides of the fence — I feel like I'm part of the defence and I'm the person bringing forth the legal suit. But I'm still trying to protect the church that I love. It's really bizarre." He did pull back from leadership roles after his brother's death, saying he didn't feel the support from some priests or from then Bishop Colin Campbell. Martin switched to a new parish, where he was welcomed, and he and his wife are raising their eight children as members of the church. As for why the diocese should be held accountable for the actions of an individual, Martin says that individual was placed there by church leadership. "They said we've trained this man, we've ordained this man and we bring this man to you as leader of your parish, and we put him there in trust." If those church officials knew that MacDonald had broken that trust before moving him to St. Agnes, they placed children there at risk, he adds. Martin says he approached the diocese, asking it to release a statement acknowledging its responsibility for abuse involving some of its priests, and issue a public apology. He then went to Halifax lawyer John McKiggan, who has represented other abuse survivors, and suggested working with the diocese to develop a solution that wouldn't cause survivors to be revictimized by having to turn to the courts. Bishop Raymond Lahey appeared open to the idea, Martin adds, noting he had dealt with similar circumstances when he served in Newfoundland. He also met face to face with Lahey not long after David's death. "I said to him, I will not stop this until we get what we're looking for — that being a public apology and acceptance of responsibility. "If I have to go to the highest court in the land, then that's where we're going, because I'm not letting this go. I've lost a brother because of it, I've lost part of my own life because of it." Three years of negotiations between Martin and the diocese followed, but he says they failed, with no offer ever being put on the table. In a news release this week, Lahey acknowledged that sexual abuse did occur with certain priests, some of whom were criminally convicted. The release indicated the diocese has offered a less adversarial settlement process to victims and diocese lawyer Bruce MacIntosh said a number of complaints have been dealt with, although he declined to say how many have been settled. Martin says he was disappointed by Lahey's remarks, saying he has no knowledge of any process in place to assist victims. In 1990, Martin wrote a letter to MacDonald offering him forgiveness, but asking him to take responsibility for what he had done by seeking forgiveness from the church and from his other victims. He didn't receive a reply, but Martin found the exercise to be freeing. Filing the lawsuit is also liberating, MacDonald says. "It's saying I have accepted what happened to me and I want to make sure it never happens again in the church that I belong to and the church that I love. It's freeing for me because it's going to free the church. "I don't do any of this with malice, I don't do any of this with vengeance. I do this because I care — I care for the people who have been abused and hurt by the church, I care for the church that has allowed that to happen, and I care for the Diocese of Antigonish." On the day the class-action was announced, five people came forward to identify themselves as abuse survivors, for the first time. None of them may ultimately join the suit, but Martin says that in itself makes it worthwhile. Martin says he knows some people may look at him differently, now that he's gone public with what happened to him as a child, and he wondered how the lawsuit would be received by others in such a predominantly Catholic region. But he adds he's been amazed by the number of calls of support he's received. "I worried about what people would say, like, 'what are you doing this now for?'" Martin says. "I have had calls from all over this island saying thank you for finally doing something because we know so many people who have been affected by this and the church just keeps sweeping it away, and if we're ever going to have a church that we can look at with pride, then something is going to have to change and this is the change they were hoping for."
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