A request for additional questioning of a priest's sexual assault victims is not unreasonable because the victims allege more abuse than was admitted in court, says a London diocese spokesperson.In responding to public pleas for the diocese to limit further psychological testing of the victims of Catholic priest Charles Sylvestre, Ron Pickersgill said some of the abuse was never outlined during the trial last summer.
The diocese issued the statement Thursday following a press conference organized by the victims in Chatham, who are involved in multimillion-dollar civil litigation with the diocese.
"Where the abuse goes beyond the criminal allegations and where there is a serious loss of income claim, we have asked for the opportunity to ask some questions of the victims and to have an independent medical examination," Pickersgill said in a prepared statement to the media.
Sylvestre pleaded guilty last summer to sexually assaulting 47 girls over three decades while serving at parishes in Sarnia, Chatham, Pain Court and Windsor.
The 84-year-old died three months into his three-year prison sentence.
Although the diocese has accepted liability for Sylvestre's actions, Pickersgill said the request for further testing is "not unreasonable because these claims cannot be evaluated without information."
While some victims have expressed fears of going through another difficult round of questioning, they "need not have such fears," Pickersgill said, as the victim's lawyer is present and questions are asked in a manner that is respectful and sensitive.
Pickersgill also said some victims are alleging more abuse in the civil suit than they did during the criminal proceedings.
One of those victims, Joanne Bachewsky, said she considers Pickersgill's comments an insult to the survivors who for decades received no support from the church.
"Our stories are all consistent . . . and we know what happened. We're telling the truth," she said. For years, the diocese swept their complaints under the carpet, she said. She added that only through the persistence of the survivors, not the church, has these heinous crimes gone public.
"We shouldn't be penalized for failing to recall everything immediately," Bachewsky said.
"A lot of victims have repressed memories. Just because (Sylvestre) didn't plead guilty to intercourse, doesn't mean it didn't happen."
At the time of his pleas, several victim impact statements were read before the court.
Some victims alleged they were raped by Sylvestre, although those charges were dropped as part of the plea.
"We accepted that settlement because we needed to . . . in order to move on," Bachewsky said.
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