On the eve of the holiest period of the Catholic calendar, the sex scandal that rocked the London diocese resurfaced with the church settling four victims' civil suits.The financial settlements with four of the dozens of women suing the Diocese of London -- all were molested by Rev. Charles Sylvestre as kids -- were announced yesterday, just as Easter weekend masses were to start.
"I feel like a new person," said Vivian Dobbs, 65, who was abused by Sylvestre as a 13-year-old in Windsor. "Even though I'm looking through my eyes, it's like my body is different.
"I received a very sincere apology from (church officials) and I'm just going to go on with my life. The church was fair."
Dobbs, who was assaulted at age 13 while Sylvestre was at Windsor's Sacred Heart church, and another fellow victim from there represent the disgraced priest's first two known victims.
A dated photograph, which Dobbs recalls was taken within hours of her abuse, indicates Sylvestre abused her July 14, 1954.
The other Sacred Heart victim told the church of the abuse that year.
The other settled suits were launched by a woman abused while at St. Thomas Aquinas church in Sarnia and another from St. Ursula's in Chatham, lawyer Rob Talach of Ledroit Beckett law firm said.
Sylvestre (pic'd here) died at age 84 in prison in January.His death came just months after the disgraced priest was sentenced to three years for the indecent assaults of 47 girls over four decades from Windsor to London.
Settlement discussions between the diocese and lawyers for some of the victims began Wednesday morning, lasting all day.
The resolutions were reached yesterday, diocese spokesperson Ron Pickersgill said.
The names of three victims -- and the amount of money awarded -- weren't disclosed, citing what the church called privacy concerns. It's unclear if a confidentiality agreement was reached.
Keeping the victims of Sylvestre's horrifying crimes out of court is a priority, Pickersgill said.
"This is definitely our hope, that things won't come to the court process (and) settlements would be reached fairly and justly," he said.
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Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce