Black victims of sex abuse charge inaction, cover-up by the Catholic Church
the full article at:
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/National_News_2/article_6632.shtml
CHICAGO (FinalCall.com) - Attorney Phillip Aaron said after hearing the emotional stories of victims of sexual abuse by religious authorities within the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church in Chicago, he felt obligated to help
For the last nine years, Atty. Aaron has worked on behalf of at least 50 Black victims of pedophiles. Some say the abuse began when they were as young as age nine.
David Nolan, now 42, said his sordid tale of sexual abuse by a Catholic priest began when he was 13 years old. He said the priest used his position of authority and power to have sex with dozens of young boys at will, and seemingly without fear of punishment.
“We put them (priests) on pedestals almost to the point where I thought they were more than superhuman in a sense,” said Mr. Nolan. At one time, Mr. Nolan tried to tell, however, when he went to the Chicago Police, they called him a liar and laughed at him. Scared with no resources and no protection, Mr. Nolan's victimizer forced him to recant. Even after many complaints by members of the congregation, his victimizer was transferred to a bigger church on Chicago's Southside.
“No one cares about young Black boys being molested, but I'm reading in the news everyday how holy hell is being raised by White victims being sexually abused,” said Mr. Nolan, who said a young male relative was also sexually abused by the same priest.
Reginald Montgomery's nightmare of abuse also began at age 13, when he was homeless after being kicked out of the house.
He looked up to his priest as a father figure, until one evening the priest told him he could sleep upstairs in the rectory. The seemingly benevolent priest came and woke him up.
“I felt somebody rubbing on me.” Mr. Montgomery said when he opened his eyes, “He was standing there in his underwear.”
“He just did what he wanted. I tried to get him off me, but he was stronger then me. He actually raped me,” said Mr. Mongtomery.
“People coming forward to talk about being abused by priests is a difficult thing,” said Mr. O'Malley. “Priests are trust figures in their lives like a parent or a family member and talking about that is hard, so I would not speak harshly of anyone who said it was a difficult process,” he added.
“This is true racism in America,” said Mr. Nolan. “We found out that the Catholic Church doesn't have love for young Black Catholics.
“We were young devout Black Catholics who cared about God, who were good kids, not in gangs, not in trouble, but this man took our innocence and they helped cover it up.”
(Coming soon: Part II: “The Silent Screams of the Victims.”)
the full article at:
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/National_News_2/article_6632.shtml