AN American woman allegedly molested repeatedly by an Irish priest over a six-month period when she was a teenager has attacked the Catholic Church in the US for not allowing her to have her day in court.The Diocese of San Bernardino has announced it will pay $15.1 million in out-of-court settlements to 11 people who say priests abused them.
In making the announcement, the Bishop of the Diocese, Gerald Barnes, said: “To the victims I pray that God of mercy and light will walk with you on your journey towards healing. I am so sorry.”
However, that apology is not for Nicki Rister who claims she was repeatedly molested by 70-year-old Kilkenny native Monsignor Patrick O’Keeffe over a six-month period in the 1970s when she was 17 years old.
O’Keeffe, who allegedly sexually abused at least three women in the US was the subject of the first of 155 lawsuits which were being taken against two US diocese.
He was removed from all parish duties in 1994 and returned to Ireland in 2002, just days before a warrant was issued for his arrest over child sex abuse charges.
At that point he was wanted on 15 charges over claims that he repeatedly forced a teenager to engage in oral sex when he was serving in a parish near Los Angeles more than 30 years ago.
Those charges were dropped because the statute of limitations had expired. He also faced accusations of sexual abuse from three other women.
On the announcement of the Church’s settlement Nicki Rister told the Press Enterprise in San Bernardino she had wanted to confront Church officials in court.
She said she did not feel she could celebrate that she was going to receive a payout from the Church after all these years.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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