I’ve seen entire parishes, Catholic communities, respond as if driven by an evil force in defense of the perpetrator parish priest.
I wasn’t abused sexually, but I knew something was wrong.
I was flying and saw a priest with a collar on and I had a feeling in my gut of revulsion. Something said, Doyle, you've got something in there going on. And I realized I was being traumatized by the life that I was so much a part of.
In our case we de-mythologize.
Catholics are taught:
God is watching us and sees everything we do
The priest takes the place of god
The church is the only way to salvation
All this magic, all this symbolism
The church galvanized these beliefs and trivialized your trauma by saying these things are more important.
How often have the crime victims asked the bishops not to dress up in the black outfits when they meet with you. They never listen to you, they always wear it.
Toxic beliefs based on magical thinking.
They say everything about sex is evil. So if you feel involuntary pleasure, they can make you feel guilty
Since the priest molesting the child is supposedly beyond sin, the child being sexually molested by the priest thinks, I must be a double sinner. Why am I being punished, maybe I did something wrong.
And you go nuts with the guilt.
I can’t tell you how many times I experience profound guilt even today as I leave court or a public event where I’ve said something negative about the church.
This toxicity is so deep in me it will take a lot to get it out.
I realize, I’ve got to do some work on myself.
Their healing attempts end up being for the clerics so they can feel better
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