Church suffers from deep, infected wound: Bergie
It was not a conversation William O’Sullivan thought he would have.
The victim of repeated sexual abuse by Catholic clergy did not envision he would be talking about the depths of the problem in the world’s largest church with the bishop of the St. Catharines diocese.
The chat outside of the Cathedral of Saint Catherine of Alexandria was brief. Bishop Gerard Bergie, still dressed in his vestments, came outside the church to speak to O’Sullivan, who had been staging a silent one-man protest on Church Street Friday night. While he quietly held up a sign decrying the church’s history of dealing with sexual predators in its ranks, Bergie had been inside the cathedral leading a special service to ask for forgiveness for the church’s crimes.
“It was quick,” said O’Sullivan. “I gave him my card and asked him to call so we could have a face-to-face. He agreed and he said he loves my attitude. He seemed pretty cool.”
As the men parted ways, O’Sullivan said he shouted at the bishop: “It’s a new day!” Bergie shouted back: “Yes it is!”
The conversation followed a mass led by Bergie that was a response to thousands of new cases of sexual abuse by clergy becoming known in the United States and Europe. Many of those cases are not “historic” but happened in the past decade. Pope Francis met Thursday with leaders of the American Catholic church to discuss the escalating scandal.
During his sermon, Bergie said the church is suffering a deep, self-inflicted wound caused by “the ugliness of evil and sin from within the church that has caused much harm.”
“The wound to the church is deep and infected. However, it is not mortal and it can be healed. But only if we apply the proper treatment. I believe this treatment begins with those who have been wounded most. The victims,” said Bergie.
The bishop said there are no words that can express the deep sense of betrayal felt by many people who trusted “those they believed to be men of God,” who harmed children and vulnerable adults.
Bergie, quoting the late Pope Benedict, said the church must relearn forgiveness, but that forgiveness is not a replacement for justice.
O’Sullivan, who had been abused repeatedly by former priest Don Grecco of Welland, quietly protested outside the church during Bergie’s sermon. He held up a sign that asked why Grecco was moved to five parishes before being defrocked by the church.
“People have been nice for the most part,” said O’Sullivan, who began to sing “The Needle and the Damage Done” by Neil Young when he heard through an open window hymns being sung inside. “A few people came out and asked me to come inside and join the service.”
O’Sullivan, who hopes to be able to speak to local students about his experiences, said he wants people to understand that sermons and hollow words are not enough to help victims heal and see justice done. He said the church must come to terms with the reality that it has been used as a “rape factory” by sexual predators for hundreds of years. Until it does, he said, the situation will never change.
He said he is looking forward to a frank conversation with the bishop.
Grecco was sentenced to 18 months in prison in October for sexually abusing O’Sullivan and two others from 1975 to 1982. It was Grecco’s second conviction for sexually abusing children while he was a Niagara priest. His total number of known victims is six.
He was granted parole in April after serving only six months in prison.