The aftermath of a storm leaves a community devastated in its wake. Houses have been torn down, trees have fallen and the only choice the survivors have left is to rebuild.
Some of Father Paul’s victims became drunks, others became heroin addicts and some even killed themselves before they put the man responsible behind bars. I had no idea just how many lives he affected. Janie and I felt guilty about this. Could we have stopped him before he produced more victims? Problem was, we lived in fear that he would come back and try to kill us again. You never really heard about the normal people though. The survivors who have kids, a successful career and a house in the suburbs and who wake up, day after day, and deal with their pain and trauma in the best way they can. Truth is, with all of the victims of the church, no doubt some people made it out alright. Some didn't. We were the lucky ones. Normal people like Janie and me - survivors - with a hell of a back-story.
With a massive weight still on my chest with the unfolding of Father Paul, which also triggered memories of Ziggy, there were two options: fall into the self-destructive bad habit of drinking again or just face the day and fight for peace.
My intention is only to expose “cancer” in the church. Men like Father Paul - men with two faces. Those are the guys you need to watch out for. No institution is run perfectly. Could the Catholic leaders have handled everything better when they first got wind of possible pedophiles and stop them before they affected so many lives? I would say, “Of course.” But it happened the way it did and no one can change the past, so we might as well learn from it so it doesn’t repeat in future generations.
THE END