How would you react if you are wrongly accused of pedophilia?
By ronaldinu
@ronaldinu (12422)
Malta
October 19, 2008 4:19pm CST
A priest of mine has been removed from any contact with children or students. He used to do a lot fow work with people from all sorts of walk of life, especially those who are considered to be the outcasts by society.
With tears in his eyes he told me that he was not even allowed to celbrate mass for the prisoner's children, a job that no other priest volunteered to do. I guess he was removed after some students or parents have falsely (because I really do believe he is innocent)have accused him of some wrongdoings.
How would you react if you are wrongly accused of pedophilia?
13 people like this
33 responses
@savypat (20216)
• United States
19 Oct 08
All i know is a story about a holy man in china who was accused of making a young girl pg. when confronted he just smiled and said is that so. When the baby was born the father of the girl took the child to him and said it's your's you raise it. The Holy man smiled and said is that so. He took the child and raise it with tender care. The young girl could not longer stand to be away from her child and so told her father the truth. She was in love with his student and they wished to
marry and get their child back. The Girl's father went to the holy man with deep sorrow and told the story, the holy man gave the child to him and said is that so. The moral of the story is whatever life hands you accept it and learn what you can from it, trusting that it is meant to be. Good luck
3 people like this
@syankee525 (6261)
• United States
20 Oct 08
i was accuse last year wanting to get with my 15 yr old neice by her mom. i know i've been lable lot of things, but never ever anything as bad as this. it made me so mad i just wanted to push her in the face.
because i would never ever do anything like this, but it took me to a place i never wanted to go again. made me feel like totally like crap. even though there were so many on my side, but to had gotten locked up over something so stuipd i would never be able to be around any kids, even my own grandkids.
this is one of the worst feeling to be call or have someone saying you did or want to do something to a kid.
i can say if he didn't i feel for him, it's awful feeling to have. and the worst thing anyone can say about you if it's not true.
God will come through and shine the light on the truth.
1 person likes this
@hellcord (673)
• Romania
20 Oct 08
How'd her mom get funny ideas about you and the 15yo girl ? And all things aside, was she hot ? :D
I for one am a pretty young lad, and I always wonder whether my attraction and enthusiasm for teenage girls will change by the time I'm 40 and over. 30 is kind of close, so I hold no hopes for that one. But surely 40 ? :)
Peace :)
@syankee525 (6261)
• United States
20 Oct 08
actully no she isn't. i've always been close to family. she's my only neice on that side of the family, our birthday are on the same day. i always give my neices and even my nephews hugs. i give everyone hugs.
well her and my daughter been going back and forth with fighting. i told my neice i am not getting in the middle of it, but still gave her hugs. people guessing when she told her mom she felt uncomforable it was due to her and my daughter fighting all the time.
but yeah her told me not to hug her, and i was like oh fine no biggie. and they even me think since i didn't make a big deal over it, and i even told mom hey i am sorry she feels that way. but yeah mom threaten to call the cops if i call, text, email, im her.. when we sat down to have a meeting about this with my in laws, and the mom. i asked her. first she said no, then she was like well people do change and you could.
so i was like i would turn my own self in or kill myself. but my other sister in law and her husband stood up for me and jumped on her, because i've always been around all my neices and nephews./
but my sister in law is a witch, take the w away and add a b..
so now i have every little to do with them, but if we're at the in laws house i promise them i would keep it respectful. if i see her a$$ broke down i keep going. :)
this is the worst thing i ever was told.
@mipen2006 (5528)
• Australia
20 Oct 08
Forty years ago I was accused of stealing money from the family company I worked for. I was sacked, and detectives even came to my home and spoke with my parents. Further investigations found a close friend of the family had taken the money, and was dismissed. I got no apology from anyone in the family, and no compensation. However one of the detectives was kind enough to come back and say sorry to me and my parents. I was devistated at 21 years of age and unable to find suitable work. Nowadays I would sue for wrongful dismissal, but in those days that was unheard of.
The point I'm trying to make is that the church shouldn't have taken that action if it is only an accusation. The priest should fight the charge. There must be a hearing where he can prove his innocense.
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
20 Oct 08
I wouldn't talk to the police without the damn good lawyer. I would get my side of the story out to the press way before the cops could get theirs.I would get every good references I could from everyone I knew.But the key is to show how the fascists cops are railroading me and why.
1 person likes this
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
20 Oct 08
Hi ronald, This is a very sad situation and there may be others who have been falsely accused as well. There are always a few who will try to hurt another and society is very quick to judge. It is a tough situation because many priests have been convicted of pedophilia, and have admitted their guilt, this leaves others open to those who would wrongly accuse them. I'm not sure how I would react but it's a very serious offence and I'm sure I would be devastated. Sometimes it only takes a rumour to destroy someones reputation. This is why I hate gossip so much because I have seen it cast doubt on the character of some truly fine people. This of course is more than gossip, this priest has been accused. If he is innocent, as you believe him to be, and you are probably right, I pray that he will be cleared of all charges and ably to continue in the work that he has dedicated his life to. Blessings.
1 person likes this
@guybrush (4658)
• Australia
20 Oct 08
I would be very upset to be wrongly accused of ANYTHING - but paedophilia is a particularly horrible accusation, as mud sticks, and I'm sure there is always the niggling doubt in people's minds that you might be guilty, even if you are cleared. I've heard of cases where women have been hypnotised in so-called counselling sessions and have 'remembered' their fathers abusing them when they were children - and the poor men have had their lives destroyed, even though the event never actually happened. Whole families have been ripped apart.
1 person likes this
@cripfemme (7698)
• United States
20 Oct 08
A friend of mine was accused of that falsely, as well. It can really destroy a life; I know that much. If it happened to me, I'd be raising a holy (no pun intended) stink, I'll tell that much. The lie would not stand up to the wrath of this woman.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
20 Oct 08
I would fight like crazy and it would be the worse thing, if I were innocent. I do not know what the Roman Catholic Church does for priests falsely accused of crimes against children. I suppose they probably have a lawyer for these things. Now if it were me, myself, and someone accused me of pedophelia or some horrible thing, I would yell at them and tell them straight out that I am not that sort of person and to "get your mind off the gutter."
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
20 Oct 08
The Catholic church most often chooses silence to protect herself....
@checapricorn (16061)
• United States
21 Oct 08
[i]Hi ronald,
I don't know how will I react but I will try my very best to prove to the people that I am not innocent but in cases like this, it's hard to believed them especially if kids are the one telling the public,,,,No one would like to be in this controversy and risk their life and reputation for lifetime if there is no truth! Imagine, neighbors and fellow kids will forever tease them for being a victim![/i]
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
20 Oct 08
I don't have the slightest idea how I would respond to such a thing. Probably shock and then hurt and then anger. But how do you fight something like that?
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
20 Oct 08
i would be very sad but outraged to. i hope he is innocent & they prove he is but there's already been alot of damage done. that will follow him the rest of his life, guilty or innocent.
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
21 Oct 08
thats horrible that people did that!! people dont realize that once you are accused of that it DOESNT go away even when proven innocent!! it hurts you for life!! i would be pissed/crushed/insulted/etc to INFINITY if i was EVER accused of that!!
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
20 Oct 08
This is an extremely serious offense that this priest
has been accused of. There would have had to be quite
alot of evidence to have removed him from his duties.
This is not something that should be taken lightly.
I hear what you are saying about him that he was a
good person who helped alot of people, but do you really
know that for a fact that he isn't a pedophile? Can you
be sure that he isn't? Just because someone is a nice
person to children doesn't mean that they aren't guilty
of this haneous crime. I worked for a criminal attorney
who represented a pedophile. The man was pleasant enough,
and just by meeting and speaking to him no one would
have possibly know that he was capable of these sick acts.
But he was! I saw the evidence and it was really very
sickening! So you can't tell so easily. So if there is
a slight chance that this priest might be guilty then
they must keep him away from children. Unfortunately, if
he is innocent, it will be hard to prove and it would be
a definite shame for all the good things that he has done.
@kellyjeanne (1576)
• United States
22 Oct 08
Like him I would be so hurt by it. I can't help but think that someone was jealous os him and wanted to hurt him. What a sad shame.
Purrs,
Catwoman=^..^= & Mija
@moondancer (7433)
• United States
20 Oct 08
ronald, it would upset me so bad. I just love children and do what I can to spend time with them and help them when they need it. I have 10 grandchildren and I'm around many children as my grandchildren have friends over all of the time.
I bake and fix things they like. With several kinds of teas and and always doing activities with them.
It would break my heart not to be around them. I feel very badly for the priest. As they help people and are their for them and the children need good role models of men to be positive roles in their lives.
The children in his live and around him I'm sure have heard this horrible news. I feel for them and how they are taking this as well.
It's a shame that their are some very petty and vendictive people out there. Children get upset sometimes and accuse someone of these things not knowing the full ramifications of their actions. They ruin someones life by these accusations and the damage is done by the time they want to retract what they said it has blown to magnificent proportions and they are afraid to say anything different or to the contrary. The said thing is grown ups do the same. So the percecuted person has to go on fighting this stigma that they has done this horrendous thing.
My prayers are with him and everyone around him having to deal with this problem.
@austere (2812)
• Philippines
20 Oct 08
i dont know.. that would be very shameful and unjust especially of it has not been proven.. but i think that is very impossible to happen for my case!hehehe i am just 22 and a female.. usually it's the older guys that are accused or convicted with that kind of crime.. but then again, there are women pedophiles but only of small percentage!
@zhuuraan (961)
• United States
20 Oct 08
I heard a story about a guy who was in prison for 15 years serving a sentence for child molestation and this was prior to the use of DNA in trials. He had a company help prove him innocent with the use of DNA, but he had already lost 15 years of his life and had tons of beatings because of it. Even the murderers looked on pedophiles as worse than they were. I really feel for him having to go through that crap and I'm surprised he wasn't bitter because of it.
If I were falsely accused, I don't think I would be able to take it as well as he did. I'm not sure exactly how I'd react, but I know it'd most definitely be ugly.
@Humbug25 (12540)
•
20 Oct 08
Hi ya ronaldinu
I would hate to be accused of doing anything I really didn't do let alone pedophilia! It is a very difficult and delicate subject. If some children have had some bad experience from an adult and it is not your priest then incodences will continue and people will see that your priest has been wrongly accused. I hope it will get sorted and the wrong doer's punished accordingly.
@belk89 (1103)
• Philippines
20 Oct 08
I feel sad about this story. Yeah sometimes people can be so inconsiderate about the impact of accusing an innocent person of molesting kids. There is no fair trial and because you hold a very important position in church you were prohibited to do the things that you always wanted to do before. If that happens to me i will definitely fight until my name is clean. And those who accused me i will never let them get away of what they did to me for ruining my reputation. They should be stop for accusing innocent people because they might keep on doing it to other people just because they dont like the person or for some other personal motive.
@lisa0502 (1724)
• Canada
20 Oct 08
I guess that the big question would be Is he in fact innocent. My husband knew a man for over 20 years, was a good standing member of the community and was a member of uncles at large. Never tried anything with my husband or anything. Now 20 years later we had let our kids visit him. He had been around our kids since they were born. We found out 2 years ago that he had molested our two boys. To this day at sentencing he blamed the kids and was in denial. You have no way of knowing for sure. But in my opinion I would trust the kids. I have gone through this over 10 times. & out of 8 of my kids have been sexually abused. Some multiple times all by different people, never under my roof. How well do you trust him, does it really matter that he is a priest do they make no mistakes? Just be carefull.
