It is hard even to imagine the pain survivors of clergy sexual abuse have had to endure. After being raped or brutalized by people their communities had taught them to see as nearly infallible, many were left silent for decades, ashamed or just unable to speak.
When they did come forward, their motives were questioned and their integrity impugned. They were savaged, re-victimized, in court proceedings and public announcements, as bishops, diocesan lawyers and church officers denied their charges.
https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/francis-commitment-abuse-survivors-question
https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/francis-commitment-abuse-survivors-question