PENNSYLVANIA
Lancaster Online
Maureen Powers | Special to LNP
They say timing is everything.
In view of “Spotlight” just receiving an Academy Award for best picture, last week’s grand jury report on two Catholic bishops’ cover-up of rampant child sexual abuse by 50-plus priests over 40 years in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese couldn’t be more timely.
(“Spotlight” is the story of The Boston Globe’s investigation of massive child sexual abuse and its cover-up by Cardinal Law in the Archdiocese of Boston.)
I grew up in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese, and I can say unequivocally from personal experience that child sexual abuse by clergy existed more than 50 years ago. I was sexually molested by a prominent priest of that diocese between the ages of 12 and 14, and I can shed light on some ways in which these acts are kept secret from a victim/survivor’s standpoint.
Of course, there was the grooming of both me and my family. I played the organ in church from the time I was 12, and also volunteered in the church office. I accompanied my abuser on various overnight trips, one of which included my sister and parents.
This man was a real go-getter, universally admired and trusted. To be honest, I loved him and was flattered by his attention. He couched some of his actions as “research,” some as “educating” me, and some as “friendship.” When things got to a point that I drew the line — this was witnessed by a friend of mine — the behavior stopped.
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