CANADA
Northern Life
By: Darren MacDonald – Sudbury Northern Life | Oct 23, 2013
Jerome Myre has written a letter to Pope Francis, and is hoping for a personal reply. While it’s a long shot, he’s got a better chance of hearing from the pontiff than most of us.
Myre was 12 years old when he was sexually abused by Fr. Bernard Cloutier, a former priest who was convicted in 2009 for incidents that took place in Sudbury, Espanola and Massey. Myre, who is allowing his name and face to be made public, was one of five victims abused between 1974 and 1983. He attended a parole hearing last month, where he and another victim read their victim impact statements, doing their part to ensure Cloutier, 71, serves his full sentence, which runs until Oct. 14, 2014.
While no longer a Catholic, Myre says he still believes in God. But not in a church that refuses to defrock priests who abuse children. So he’s written the Pope, asking for a change in policy.
“I think it would show some good faith to victims around the world,” Myre said. “To me, they shouldn’t have any status whatsoever.
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