BOSTON (MA)
Mass Live
May 7, 2019
Nadine Tifft’s faith has been tested.
The 37-year-old publicly accused a priest on Tuesday of sexually molesting her as a teenager growing up in New England.
“I’m still Catholic,” she said, but adding, “It makes it hard to go to church.”
Two decades ago, Tifft and several friends attended leadership retreats organized through her church for young members. The retreats were held around New England, designed to connect Catholics throughout New England with leaders in the church.
During such events, Tifft alleges she was sexually abused by a former clergyman in Massachusetts, the Rev. John Sweeney, of the “Franciscans of Primitive Observance,” a religious community under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.
Sweeney would encourage the teens to confess their sins and, after confessionals, told several they were possessed and would perform exorcisms on them, Tifft said.
During a church retreat in 2000, Tifft said Sweeney sexually molested her. In years since, Tiffts said other friends said they were sexually abused by Sweeney as well.
“We were teenagers who trusted that priest,” she said.
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.