We share our story with someone. We hope they will understand. And they don’t.

After Sunday service you speak to a friend. You’ve known her since the two of you attended the same boarding school decades ago. You share a story of sexual abuse that shattered your life and your faith, and about the cover-up that followed. She’s trustworthy, virtuous, a decent person; surely she’ll understand.

We come face to face with an insidious cover-up.

You are deeply disturbed by her response. She agrees the behavior of the nun therapist, Mother Superior, the bishop was horrific. You think she gets it. Until she excuses their horrific behavior. ‘They didn’t know what to do,’ she mutters. You know they did.

Then she adds, ‘Please don’t accuse MY Order. It happened so long ago. Best you just forget. Thanks for not saying anything.’

But you can’t.

We resist.

There’s rock-solid evidence: keeping quiet doesn’t make it go away. Besides there’s more of us now. Maybe someone will finally listen.

Have you been able to ‘just forget’ sexual abuse by a therapist or clergy member?