ivandoesnot

The Archdiocese of St. Louis has acknowledged my abuse happened. I was forced to settle my lawsuit due to the sadly successful efforts of Cardinal Dolan to Gaslight me and Deacon Phil Hengen to give me the Run-Around. Now, whenever I try to let USCCB know of the problems in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and cc ArchStL personnel on my e-mails, they call the police and tell them I'm threatening to harm them. I'm not. I'm just trying to blow the whistle to USCCB on the misdeeds of ArchStL.

Does USCCB or the church have an ombudsman?

Someone I can direct such stories to so the problem can be fixed?

EDIT: Added links to a couple of relevant pieces...

• Cardinal Timothy Dolan
• What it's like to be a Survivor and Try to Get Help from the Church

Matthew 7:5 Why is the church talking about ANYTHING besides the sexual abuse crisis and the plight of survivors? Isn't it callous to talk about helping immigrants or whomever when the church continues to ignore the plight of survivors? At least in (arch)dioceses like St. Louis?

What am I referring to?

• The Second Sin

I think that's too strong.

Pardon me, but I'm a survivor.

And I'm poor.

Because I was abused.

You know...

- Anxiety

- Depression

- OCD

- PTSD

- Complex-PTSD

Then Father and now Cardinal Timothy Dolan turned a blind eye to the abuse of altar boys at Immacolata. Of myself and others.

Hello Chris my name is R___, I graduated from Immacolata in 198_, was a alter boy and had to get “hair cuts” from Fr. Valentine in his bedroom, so I unfortunately know too. What angers me as much is several times leaving Valentines bedroom, fr. Timothy Dolan, now Cardinal Dolan lived in the room next door & would be standing right there & never did anything

And then, when I went to the church in 2002 for help, Cardinal Dolan Gaslighted me and told me nothing happened...

I know Fr. Valentine well.

We were at the seminary together.

We lived and worked together at Immacolata.

I know Leroy Valentine didn't do any of the things he's being accused of.

I know he would never do anything to hurt a child.

- Timothy Cardinal Dolan's words to me in early March 2002

- Timothy Cardinal Dolan

Then, when Fr. Valentine resigned a couple of weeks later, neither Dolan nor anybody at ArchStL made ANY attempt to circle back to me and help me, since the presence of multiple allegations against Valentine would seem to suggest there might be something to my allegations.

Chris O'Leary

The Sins of the Fathers

I came forward in this April 2018 piece in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It included a statement by Archdiocese of St. Louis spokesman Gabe Jones that said I was lying. That my story change. But it didn't. What are survivors supposed to do when the (arch)diocese they are supposed to go to for help feels free to lie about them? What is the apparent theological, doctrinal, or traditional justification for lying about survivors?

• Priest Abuse Survivor Chris O'Leary's Story by Aisha Sultan

Cardinal Timothy Dolan is being put -- and putting himself -- forward as part of the solution to the abuse crisis. But I know he's actually a part of the problem. Dolan turned a blind eye to the abuse of Fr. LeRoy Valentine at Immacolata. Dolan then Gaslighted me when I came to him for help in 2002.

Do you understand how traumatizing it is for Valentine's survivors to see Dolan all over the TV now? What can be done to expose and remove phony reformers like Dolan? Why should survivors believe anything has changed if Dolan leads the charge?

Here's an overview of my experience and interactions with Cardinal Timothy Dolan