Church scandal’s next wave: Abused girls

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http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/800312--church-scandal-s-next-wave-abused-girls?bn=1


Expect numbers of women victimized by priests as children to rise over next few years, say lawyers


Father Charlie told the girl with the cascading brown curls and frilly frocks that she was pretty. Special. One of his favourites.

In the small Ontario town of Pain Court, a French-Canadian community near Chatham, Father Charlie’s attention was prized by devout Roman Catholic families like Cecilia McLauchlin’s. His interest in their daughter meant the popular priest, once described as “next to God,” publicly approved of how she was being raised.

So when a gynecologist examined the girl for recurring vaginal infections, it didn’t occur to anyone that Father Charlie was the cause of her physical pain.

Cecilia McLauchlin was only 5 years old.

Now 32, the Chatham woman is the youngest known victim of Father Charles Sylvestre, the smooth-talking priest who groomed his young prey with candies, trinkets and praise. He was convicted in 2006 of sexually assaulting 47 girls over four decades in southwestern Ontario — despite abuse complaints from victims to police, school and church officials during that time.

McLauchlin came forward after his conviction, as did 30 more women in a movement some expect foreshadows the church’s next crisis: a groundswell of female victims seeking justice.
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catholic church = pedophiles heaven

[Dappleganger]

1. I blame gay priests.

:sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[poverlay]

2. Did you see Seth Myers' "News" on SNL this weekend? He says something to the effect of:

Pope Benedict's papacy turned 5 this week. At which point a priest promptly hit on it...

I fell off my couch.

[CherokeeDem]

3. Spoke to a Catholic...

acquaintance yesterday...a former co-worker who drinks from the Fox News koolaid on regular basis. She is very devout and we talk openly about our differences in ideology without getting angry so I decided to see how she would handle the scandal in the church.

She was uncomfortable discussing it and what she said sounded like talking points from her priest. She said, "You know, statistics have shown that only 2% of the priests are involved and this has simply been blown (loved her use of that word...not sure she got it) out of proportion. As for the Pope...he didn't know anything in time to take of it. This was all just a witch hunt to discredit the Pope and the church."

I think she needs to lay off the koolaid. But the same delusional thought process regard the right wing and the church is obvious...blind belief regardless of fact.

[Demoiselle]

5. Where do they get the "only 2% of priests" statistic?

And if that is in fact an accurate number, what's the proportion of child molesters in our general population?
Just wondering.

[harry_pothead]

7. 2% of priests have been CAUGHT molesting.

The actual figure is likely far higher.

[Demoiselle]

8. I'm sure you're right.

[slampoet]

6. HOLY CRAP a WHOLE 2% ? That is statistically Huge!

If a mine was 2% gold or silver or diamonds you would have the richest mine in the world.

2% of a celibate population being involved in molestation is ... amazingly large.

[poverlay]

9. Yeah it's so sick: "Only 8,000(2%)". Oh is that all? Disgusting no matter how they try to

disguise the numers, or the horror.

The simple fact that ANY one is trying to downplay the issue is sick beyond reason.

[Shell Beau]

4. Ugh! So disgusting.

A 5 year old innocent child. :cry: