Men suing church for abuse

By Don Robinet/Chatham This Week

 

Don Robinet/Chatham This Week David Turrill, left, and Denis Robert, are suing the Roman Catholic Church for abuse they say  they suffered at the hands of the late Fr. Bernard Robert.

 

Two Tilbury residents are among a group of four men who are suing the Roman Catholic Diocese of London for sexual abuse at the hands of a priest who is now deceased.

The men held a press conference at Travelodge in Chatham on Friday morning, along with lawyers from the London firm of LedroitBeckett.

No charges were ever laid against Father Bernard Robert, a man who served in several parishes in southwestern Ontario and who retired to the Lighthouse Cove area. Fr. Robert died in the late 1990s. He was never convicted abuse and no charges were ever laid against him. He served at St. Mary’s Parish in Blenheim from 1958 to 1969, at St. Matthew’s in Alvinston and Our Lady Help of Christians in Watford from 1969 to 1973 and Holy Family in Wallaceburg from 1989 to 1993. He served during the 1970s and 1980s at St. Francis Xavier in Tilbury.

Aaron Lealess, one of the lawyers representing the men, said that to the best of his knowledge, diocesan officials did not receive a formal complaint about Fr. Robert until 1999, after his death, when he was the subject of a different lawsuit.

Denis Robert and David Turrill have publicly stepped forward as victims of Fr. Robert. Both men, now in their forties, said they were abused by the priest beginning when they were about eight or nine years old. Both were altar servers in the 1970s, and both kept the abuse a secret until recently, when they were embolded to step forward after hearing others step forward to complain about abuse by other priests.

The two other men who are suing the diocese are not willing to go public. Lealess also said that since word of the lawsuit became public, the firm has been contacted by a fifth person, and he is encouraging other victims to come forward.

Robert and Turrill said the abuse they suffered at the hands of Fr. Robert left a legacy of damage that played a significant role in their lives.

Turrill said he has had trouble with relationships, substance abuse, holding down a job, and for a time he lived on the streets. Now married, he is employed as a truck driver and has a son from a previous relationship who lives in the United States.

The men say the abuse happened at St. Francis Xavier Church, at the church rectory, at St. Joseph elementary school in Tilbury and at Fr. Robert’s lakefront cottage, where he invited his altar servers as guests.

St. Xavier was supposed to be a safe place for me,” said Robert. “Never did I imagine the Catholic Church was a haven for this activity.” He added, “For some, Fr. Robert was a good priest, for others, we knew him differently.”

The men said that they were given gifts by Fr. Robert including including candy and alcohol and were heaped with praise about what good boys they were. But they said he fondled them and performed sex acts on him and encouraged them to perform acts on him.

The men said they were made to feel that what was happening was their fault, and they kept quiet out of a sense of shame.

Like Turrill, Robert said he has also had difficulty with relationships and the damage he suffered caused him at times to withdraw emotionally from his wife. Robert said counselling has helped, but the scars will never heal.

“How many other children are damaged?” asked Robert. “Even the most trusted person can be a predator.

Robert remains married and the couple has two daughters. While the abuse shook his faith, he said he now attends United Church services.

Turrill also said he attends services, but not in a Catholic church.

He said that since the abuse, he has had trouble trusting and forming relationships and lost many jobs because of anger he developed because of the abuse.

“One day I was in bed and I was crying and asking ‘what’s wrong with me?’” said Turrill. He said he finally decided to come forward after reading an article in the Chatham Daily News about men who were abused by a different priest. He also recently discovered that one of his best friends from his youth was also abused by Fr. Robert. The men had never told each other, each keeping the memories secret.

“I didn’t believe in counsellors,” said Turrill, and added, “It’s helped a lot.” He said it’s like having a light turned on and knowing it’s not your fault.

“I lost a lot of years of my life drifting around,” said Turrill. Having lived on the streets, and having attempted suicide, he added, “I’m lucky to be alive.”

He no longer blames himself for the abuse and added, “I don’t blame God.”

The four men are each seeking $2 million in damages from the diocese.

With the accused never having been charged, and now deceased, Lealess said the case will be based on witness testimony and corroboration of their stories. He said the complainants don’t need to provide absolute proof of abuse, but only the likelihood that the abuse took place.