NEW YORK
New York Daily News
MICHAEL O’KEEFFE
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, June 3, 2016
Sister Claire Smith believes Catholic leaders have abandoned survivors of childhood sexual abuse — and the teachings of Jesus Christ — by opposing legislation that would make it easier for victims to seek justice.
Smith says a priest sexually abused her for years — beginning when she was just 11. Still, the 78-year-old social justice activist says she is reluctant to bash the Catholic Church.
“The church is not the buildings or the hierarchy,” Smith said during an interview near her City Island apartment. “The church is us — it is the people of God.”
Smith still sees a therapist to talk about the trauma she suffered more than 60 years ago. The wheelchair-bound Ursuline nun, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the 1970s, once even collected bottles and cans from dumpsters to pay for counseling before she began seeing a church-affiliated psychiatrist a few years ago.
“The memories never leave you,” said Smith, an educator and counselor. “You carry it around like a burden for the rest of your life.”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.