‘Apology gives me the peace my soul has been crying for’

This week, South African William Segodisho spoke about how a Catholic priest, Father William MacCurtain, had sexually abused him when he was a teenager staying in a Johannesburg homeless shelter in the 1980s.

In a moving testimony at a press conference he spoke about how it had destroyed his life and his attempts to get the church to accept responsibility came to nothing.

On Wednesday, Fr MacCurtain apologised for the abuse and now Mr Segodisho has responded:

“For 27 long years I have yearned and begged and cried for just these the three words from Fr Bill: ‘I am sorry’.

“It has been a painful and a traumatic struggle that has poisoned the peace every human soul needs to thrive.

“The deliberate absence of the acknowledgement of my pain and this apology, has damaged me beyond recovery. I shall take it to my grave.

“Having said that, I am relieved that my struggle was not in vain. I welcome that finally my truth has been acknowledged and it is now officially affirmed that I am not the liar I was made out to be for almost three decades.

“His apology, late as it comes, gives me the peace my soul has been crying out for all along.

“It was unexpected because I had become accustomed to being disregarded and disbelieved.

“Better late than never. I will need time to digest it and determine whether to accept it, forgive the man and march on to live what little is left of my life in peace and harmony.” BBC News