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Wednesday, December 27, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 23 Clergy abuse victims haunted by sex harassment news By Gillian Flaccus Associated Press PORTLAND (AP) — When stories of sexual mis- conduct by powerful men began to fill the news this fall, Manny Vega immediately flashed back to his childhood. He saw strong similari- ties between the recent alle- gations against producers and politicians and his own abuse as a child by his parish priest. “The parallels are in the power dynamics,” said Vega, a former police officer and decorated Marine who lives in Oxnard, California. “Whether you’re the leader of a church or the leader of a film studio, you’re going to be someone people look up to and someone people go to for guidance. It puts the victim at a horrible disadvantage.” While there are key differ- ences, the sexual harassment detailed in today’s headlines shares the same well-worn themes that made it so hard for Vega and hundreds of other clergy abuse victims to come forward more than a decade ago: fear of retribu- tion and disbelief, impossible power dynamics and confi- dential settlements that bury complaints. Powerful Hollywood pro- ducer Harvey Weinstein is under investigation for sexual assault in four cities, and has been accused of everything from unwanted come-ons to groping by dozens of women, including A-list actresses. He has apologized for his behav- ior with women but denied having nonconsensual sex. He has not been charged with a crime. In the fallout, dozens of other high-profile men — actors, producers, politicians, journalists, chefs and TV hosts — have been publicly accused of misconduct, and dozens have resigned, been fired or suspended, or experi- enced political or professional losses due to the allegations. And like Weinstein, the clergy abuse scandal featured a larger-than-life character who resigned in disgrace: Boston’s Cardinal Bernard Law. Law, whose failure to stop child molesters in the priesthood triggered the worst crisis in American Catholicism, died earlier this week at age 86. The revelations have reopened wounds for clergy abuse victims who tried to raise the national conscious- ness about the dangers of complicity by exposing their trauma to the nation. The Catholic church has paid out more than $3 bil- lion to settle clergy abuse cases since 1950, including a record-breaking $660 million settlement in Los Angeles a decade ago. Archdioceses in Boston, Los Angeles and elsewhere also were forced to publicize confidential docu- ments that showed cover-ups to protect molesting priests. Now, those courtroom vic- tories — and the secret docu- ments they unveiled — seem like horrible foreshadowing to some. “I shouldn’t be sur- prised after all that I’ve been through, but it is shocking,” said Ryan DiMaria, a clergy abuse victim who won a $5.2 million settlement in 2001 and went on to become an attorney for others molested by priests. “I think it’s the tip of the iceberg in terms PUBLIC NOTICE Sisters Urban Renewal Agency Annual Report of finding out who knew about it and who was cover- ing it up. That’s the next big revelation.” Six of Weinstein’s female accusers filed a federal law- suit in New York earlier this month alleging he used a legion of assistants, casting agents, security firms, gossip writers and others to access a steady stream of unwilling sexual partners and silence their complaints. There are differences in the scandals. Most of the clergy victims were adults when they came forward but were children when the abuse happened. And the weight of faith made it that much more intimidating for the accusers to come forward; some were cast aside by their families and called liars by fellow parishioners. “I can’t tell you how many times a client reported telling their parents about the abuse, and even their parents would strike back and say, ‘You’re lying,’” said attorney Tim Hale, who has represented alleged victims of both clergy abuse and abuse within the Boy Scouts. Today, there seems to be less resistance to accept- ing these stories, possibly because the clergy abuse scandal increased public awareness that abuse can hide anywhere and an abuser can be anyone, said Richard Sipe, a former Benedictine monk who has written several books on clergy abuse and is an expert in the field. Clergy abuse victims who for decades have felt they were alone are now see- ing actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow and Salma Hayek come forward with similar stories, and that is upsetting but also healing, he said. Many have approached him in recent days to talk about how the daily headlines on sexual misconduct relate to their childhood experi- ences, he added. “It does have an unsettling element, and it’s raw, and it’s deep — but it is also consol- ing that they’re not the only ones and that they’re not at fault,” Sipe said. “The truth really is freeing.” Those who have lived the 25-50% off storewide! Hurry! Limited to in-store stock! clergy abuse scandal, how- ever, know this moment of public consciousness could vanish as quickly as it came. “It won’t be news after a while. It’ll be, ‘Oh, another person’s complaining, and now another person’s com- plaining.’ But what’s sig- nificant now is that there are names people know — and that captivates and inter- ests people,” said Anthony Demarco, a Pasadena, California, lawyer who spe- cializes in clergy abuse cases. After Christmas Sale! Select Simms Boots $129.95 Simms G3 Waders - $375 Sage Motive & Salt Rods - 40% OFF Rod Cases 40% Off Float Tubes & Accessories 30% OFF Dept. 56 Xmas Villages • Designer Purses Jewelry • Kitchen • Home Decor & More Excludes OTC & Rx S ISTERS D RUG & G IFT 211 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters | 541-549-6221 151 W. Main Ave., Sisters 541-549-FISH | Open 7 days a week WE’VE MOVED! FURRY FRIEND S 501 ( c )( 3 ) FOUNDATION Now located in the Sisters Art Works building (next door to Habitat ReStore) 204 W. Adams Ave., Ste. 109 Open Tuesday & Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. New mailing address is PO Box 1175, Sisters, OR 97759 New phone number is 541-797-4023. 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