SUE BITNEY

Lifelong Roman Catholic. BA in Theology. Masters in Adlerian Psychology. Served in many capacities in the Church and after leaving as Social Worker with people with disabilities.

My Personal Experience of Abuse Taught Me About God’s Love

I was hired by our Archdiocese to work with the deaf community as assistant director of the office. I knew the priest who was the director. The sex abuse scandal broke during my second year and Fr. X was appointed as director of Priest Personnel.

In my fifth year Fr. X was drinking heavily and was increasingly agitated because his term as director of Priest Personnel was coming to an end. Fr. X raged at me that he “knew” he would be assigned an additional parish to pastor.

The deaf community had a wonderful prayerful man (Deacon Candidate Y) who was then in his last year of the Permanent Deacon program. He led deaf prayer groups and had become a leader in the Permanent Deacon program. Fr. X sent a young, deeply disturbed deaf man to Deacon Candidate Y’s apartment one winter night. The following day Fr. X reported that Deacon Candidate Y had engaged in a sexual act with a vulnerable adult to the police. The police refused to get involved because there was no crime. NOTHING inappropriate had happened between these two deaf men but Fr. X told the Archbishop and the head of the Deacon program said that Deacon Candidate Y was homosexual and had assaulted this young man.

Deacon Candidate Y was released from the Deacon Program despite advocation on his behalf from myself and the nun who was the former director of the office of the deaf. Fr. X’s word was taken over anyone else’s. Fr. X exploded on me threatening me and shaking his fist in my face because I would not support him against Deacon Candidate Y. I resigned from my job out of fear for my safety. The Archdiocese blamed me for Fr. X’s rage. Fr. X spread the lie that I had a nervous breakdown.

I have renewed hope that the Church can be saved because of Root and Branch and the Women’s Ordination communities.