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	Priests to Hear Impact Statements from Victims of Fellow Priest By Jane Sims London Free Press [Canada] September 20, 2006 http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2006/09/20/1868282.html Three Roman Catholic priests representing the London diocese will be in a Chatham courtroom Friday to hear first-hand the heart-breaking stories of women sexually abused by one of their own. They will hear the 26 victim-impact statements in the Charles Sylvestre indecent-assault case, the largest sexual abuse case faced by the diocese and one of the largest non-residential school cases known on the continent. Sylvestre, 84, a retired Roman Catholic priest, of Belle River, pleaded guilty to 47 counts of indecent assault in August. The victims were between the ages of nine and 14 at the time of the assaults that date as far back as 1953 and extend to 1986. All of them attended Sylvestre's parishes in Windsor, Sarnia, London, Chatham and Pain Court. The diocese said it is responding to some criticism that the only person wearing a priest's collar in the courtroom the day of the guilty pleas was Sylvestre. Diocese spokesperson Ron Pickersgill said the priests will be there "learning and listening to the stories." He also said the diocese has asked Sylvestre not to wear his priest's collar on Friday. One of the three priests will be Fr. John Sharpe, a vicar general hand-picked by Bishop Ronald Fabbro to take on the responsibility for the area of clergy sexual abuse. Fabbro, who made an unprecedented apology to the victims last month and vowed to recommend Sylvestre be de-frocked and to eliminate sexual abuse in the diocese, is unavailable to attend the hearing. "It's Father Sharpe's job to go on behalf of the bishop," Pickersgill said. Also attending will be Fr. Robert Champagne, the episcopal vicar for Kent deanery and Fr. Dan Vere from Chatham's St. Ursula's parish, where 29 of the victims were abused. Champagne also served in the Immaculate Conception parish in Pain Court, where four of the victims attended. Twenty-six victims are expected to be heard from over the day-long hearing. The other 21 gave their-impact statements at the last court appearance. They described a disturbing pattern of child abuse perpetrated by a man they trusted. Sylvestre, known as Father Feeler and Sylvestre the Molester on school playgrounds, hand-picked little girls, many from good Catholic families, to be volunteers for special church duties. All of them had their breasts fondled. Others described him putting his hands down their pants, digitally penetrating them, and in some statements described sexual intercourse. Sylvestre acknowledged most of the abuses, but his memory is foggy. He denied any sexual intercourse. Pickersgill stressed the priests are not there to steal the limelight from the serious issues in the courtroom. None of the priests will be giving media interviews, Pickersgill said. He added they considered in their decision the effect on the victims and stressed the diocese wants to be sensitive to them. The three priests will not be the only church officials in attendance. Sister Eleanor Gleeson, superior general of the Ursuline Sisters in Chatham, said she will be there "to support the victims and their families." The Ursuline Religious Order has been based in Chatham for more than a century and were the initiators of Catholic education in the area.
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