My friend, Kim Michele Richardson has overcome her abuses inflicted by Catholic nuns and priests experienced at an orphanage when she was a child. She wrote about such ordeals in her book, The Unbreakable Child. Kimmi reveals the horrific acts the nuns and priests’ conducted on a daily basis.
On her blog, The Unbreakable Child, Kimmi wrote a letter to Pope Benedict XVI reaching out for an apology and assistance in helping with those still struggling over these abuses along with prevention. If you get a chance, please stop by Kimmi’s site and leave a comment whether it’s to support her request, or to just say hello. Abuse and silence isn’t a part of God’s teachings, but in truth this isn’t about religion, it’s about moral neglect.
On her blog, The Unbreakable Child, Kimmi wrote a letter to Pope Benedict XVI reaching out for an apology and assistance in helping with those still struggling over these abuses along with prevention. If you get a chance, please stop by Kimmi’s site and leave a comment whether it’s to support her request, or to just say hello. Abuse and silence isn’t a part of God’s teachings, but in truth this isn’t about religion, it’s about moral neglect.
I actually saw this posted somewhere else as well Bea, it's a horrible thing that happened to your friend and it's always refreshing to see proactivity amongst the horrors.
ReplyDeleteSuch things should not be overlooked, and have happened for far too long.
Hi Hinny,
ReplyDeleteThis kind of thing can never be posted too many times. Abuse is a horrendous act, and can ruin someone's life forever.
You're right about abuses should not be overlooked.
Thanks for stopping by.
Dear Bea,
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you, that this is moral rather than anything else and that I find Kim's letter very courageous and much needed at this time. It's interesting as it seems like all of these cases are being unveiled now, although they have been out and about before. I think this might have hit a chord.
In Portugal something similiar happened a couple years back in a different type of constitution setting(probably worse morally). This happened at Casa Pia, a Portuguese state-run institution for the education and support of poor children and under-age orphans. A number of children and employees were abused here. Portuguese Judiciary Police officials estimated that more than 100 boys and girls of the 4,600 pupils enrolled in Casa Pia at the time, including some deaf and mute, may have been sexually abused. And this was by a caretaker of the Casa Pia. A couple of years ago it came out, and it was on the news for quite some time. More came out, in linkage with politicans, diplomats and media celebrities. It was quite a scandal, and for the victims it was like living the ordeal again.
What it did to is had a positive effect of raising public awareness of sexual abuse of children, and since this scandal more adults (now) or children have had the voice of telling their story outloud, something they would have been scared of doing beforehand. The number of incidents reported to Portuguese police has soared after the scandal has been revealed.