One of South Africa's most prominent Catholic bishops has been described as a child molester in shocking revelations in a new book.Writer Mario d'Offizi pulls no punches in explicit details about his alleged sexual encounters with the late Reginald Orsmond, who was the highly-regarded Bishop of Johannesburg from 1984 until his death in 2002.
D'Offizi was 13 and a resident of Boys' Town in the Magaliesburg in the 1960s at the time he says he was first abused.
The celebrated founder of the youth care organisation apparently molested him for three years.
D'Offizi's dramatic revelations - which are laid bare in his memoir, Bless Me Father, include descriptions of how he was plied with alcohol before the leading cleric engaged him in a sex act.
"I went back to the bed and sat down," he writes. "My head started swimming and I felt nauseous. I fought the tears. Father Orsmond's hand fondled my thigh; then he reached for my fly and unzipped it . . . Then he took my hand and placed it on his private parts."
Speaking this week, D'Offizi, 58, said writing the chapter about Orsmond, who was affectionately known as "Big Daddy" to some of the residents, was "the most difficult thing I ever had to do".
The rest of the book concerns other aspects of his life.
"I had realised in order to understand how I had led such a reckless life, I had to go back - and there was Father Orsmond."
Another old friend from Boys' Town, whose name is known to those who need t o know, also made a chilling revelation.
D'Offizi writes: "I told him my dark secret, and he hugged me. He told me that his younger brother, who had died a few years earlier, had been molested by Father Orsmond."
Father Chris Townsend, information officer at the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC), said "the content is just incredible".
"There are many things said there that there is no way to answer because Reg is dead. Memory is a dangerous thing, and it is very difficult to make an informed judgment on the claims of the book."
D'Offizi says he is concerned about the fallout from within the Catholic church and former Boys' Town residents and he makes it clear that he regarded the bishop as "an absolutely wonderful teacher".
D'Offizi himself says Boys' Town taught him all the values he still holds high. "I really believe in its ideals. I cannot say a bad word about Boys' Town."
Townsend says the Orsmond family have been "very hurt" by the allegations, but they are not talking to the media.
Publisher Andrew Miller of Geko Books, which is releasing Bless Me Father in mid-October, said they have had no challenge from the Orsmond family or the SACBC.
D'Offizi says although he is "sorry in some ways for breaking down something people hold dear to them", he has not forgotten what Orsmond taught him.
"Have the courage of your convictions, and take the consequence of your actions. I shall do that."
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