Connecting Singles^® Forums100% Free Online Dating

Lawsuits contend church aware Ont. priest sexually abused boys
Andrew Seymour , Canwest News Service
Published: Monday, April 07, 2008

PEMBROKE, Ont. - The Roman Catholic Church was aware of the sexual abuse of young boys by Msgr. Bernard Prince more than three decades ago but allowed it to continue, according to lawsuits filed by nearly a dozen victims of the pedophile priest.

"I think it just goes to show the attitude of the Catholic Church that they would just as well keep this buried," said one of 11 men who filed $2 million lawsuits against Prince and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pembroke.

"All of these years, in my silence, I never thought the church knew about it," said the man, whose name is protected by a publication ban. He was sexually assaulted by Prince in 1984 when he was 17. "Why would the Catholic Church allow this to continue and not do anything about it?"


Bernard Prince was sentenced to four years in prison in January after being convicted of 13 charges of indecent and sexual assault involving young males between 1964 and 1984.
Mike Carroccetto/The Ottawa Citizen


Prince, 72, was sentenced to four years in prison in January after being convicted of 13 charges of indecent and sexual assault involving young males between 1964 and 1984.

According to lawyer Rob Talach, the older sister of one of the victims reported the abuse of her brother to a nun at her Catholic high school in 1968 while Prince was at the St. Jean Baptiste parish in Pembroke.

Talach said the woman was told the matter would be reported to senior officials of the diocese.

A short time later, Prince was transferred to another assignment. Talach said the diocese also received a complaint about Prince in the late '90s, but he was allowed to continue to hold a prestigious post at the Vatican.

In total, the 11 men - including 10 of the victims from the criminal proceedings - are seeking $22 million in damages in the lawsuits, which were filed last week.

Two other lawsuits involving two of the other victims also have been filed by other law firms. The males were between 10- and 16-years-old when the assaults occurred. Prince pleaded guilty to 12 of the charges and was found guilty of a 13th.

The court heard the assaults usually occurred in bed, where a naked Prince would fondle and masturbate the young males. In several cases, the complainants reported anal intercourse or oral sex, although Prince denied those allegations.

Talach said the church already has provided some funding for counselling for Prince's victims. He said the victims he represents are hopeful the Catholic Church will make institutional changes to prevent such sex abuse from occurring again.


© Ottawa Citizen 2008


How can the church preach what it does and then cover up innocent chlidren being sexually abused????? I will never understand it....BUT how horrid and hypocritical!!!!!!!!!!

Thirty years later they decide to make changes and give them some money for counselling...OH WOW....I think the ones who knew should be jailed right along with the perps...they contributed to a lifetime of pain for god knows how many children and yet they go unpunished!!!!!!!!!!


Makes me....

These stories are never fun to read.

No they aren't...BUT unfortunately they are reality in today's sick world...I will never get how it's more important to protect the good name of the church than to stop children from suffering....

Lots of cases here over the last few years where children were abused by the clergy, priests and nuns.
It seems that protecting the church was the policy for years and they covered everything up.
They messed up a lot of children, some in homes because one of their parents had died and the surviving parent could not cope.
Why could they not hug a child that was taken from its family and put into care. How heartless could they possibly be.
The kids were sexually,physically,emotionally and verbally abused.
They are still suffering because of years of abuse.

I think pure evil has infiltrated the Catholic church which is intent on turning people away from God.. no self respecting human being.. never mind one that professes to be a man/woman of god could justify this behaviour.. it simply disgusts me and deeply saddens me too...

its a shame this 'church' hasnt been flooding the world with money for its needs...
but then i guess they wouldnt have any money left for these
lawsuits



oh and

Don't know if that wave was for me.. but I'll say hi anyway ... ..

Absolutely I said that in a post earlier.... if they were to sell even a portion of their artifacts, they would go a long way to alleviating poverty... there just aren't the words to describe the contempt that I have for the Catholic Church... I have never got it!!! thank god my family didn't shove it down my gob when I was younger.. at least I could make up my own mind.. although for a long time I felt a bit guilty about my negative feelings about it, and was afraid to voice them in case I was commiting some kind of mortal sin.. it may be that I am, but having learned a little bit more about Christianity etc.. I am more comfortable with saying it out loud now.. and I am not even religious.. I can imagine the guilty that religious people experience..

I wonder if the church even cares. And if they do care, do they care more about the way it will cost them in money or the damage they have caused to their followers by covering things like this up?

I've just seen nothing to indicate they are in the least bit concerned about the welfare of their flock other than the loss of potential earnings.

i already said that sparky



and yes aries


is usually for all

oops
i used 4 emoticons

OOOOPS, didn't see it... Guess great minds think alike

I know and it sickens me to no end....and then all these years later...Do you ever see them plead guilty or still deny their actions?????

Do you ever see the ones who covered it up come forward and say I was wrong.....or still sit in denial to protect their arses???????

People may say they did this in the past...BUT my belief is...if they're still covering it up...then it's still going on....They're only being caught because victims are coming forward...NOT other members of the chruch who are just as aware of the abuse!!!!!!!

Well as far as I'm concerned they deserve to go bankrupt...I would thing their concern is still for the church just as it always has been....with a few token gestures thrown in to make it look like they care about the victims...like money for counselling!!!!!!!!!

I don't get it. These people should be locked up forever. Imagine throwing your dollar(s) in the till knowing it is going to pay off some family of an abused child. Sick, sick, sick.

The abusers and the ones who covered it up are equally guilty as far as I'm concerned!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone who was witness to it is guilty.

The catholic church is prob the wealthiest in the world.
They would do anything to keep their wealth.

I know...You just never see the ones who covered it up prosecuted...and they should be!!!!!!!!!!

Yes they would do anything to keep their wealth...well if karma has any truth to it...they will lose it all to the victims they abused and rightfully so!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have wondered if there has been a "Tradition" of this in the Catholic Church going back a long long time that has only come to light in recent years, Does anyone know anything about this?

(I am going to check if Trish is online, she appears to be an expert on the history of Christianity)