S3E12 When A Founder Falls: One Priest's Journey to Truth and Forgiveness
Forgiveness Is For YOU - Overcome Trauma Through Forgiveness
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Show Notes
* Content Warning* This episode contains mature themes and is not appropriate for minors.
Friends,
In this vulnerable and sobering episode, I visit with Father John Michael Paul, a Catholic priest who discovered that the founder of his religious community had a decades-long history of sexual abuse. For someone who spent decades serving as a priest and leader in his community, the betrayal was spiritual, deeply personal, and formative.
As someone who entered the Catholic Church shortly before the 2002 abuse crisis, I remember how destabilizing that season was for many of us. In today’s conversation, we explore what happens when the shepherd you trusted is revealed to be a wolf, and how truth, though painful, becomes the doorway to freedom.
In this episode, we discuss:- The impact of clergy sexual abuse on priests themselves
- Betrayal trauma within religious communities
- Spiritual fatherhood and spiritual disillusionment
- The difference between institutional loyalty and fidelity to truth
- How shame keeps abuse hidden
- The long road toward forgiveness
- What healing looks like when trust has been shattered
A Note to Listeners
If you have experienced betrayal within the Church, know this: your pain matters. Truth may take years to surface, but light always exposes what darkness tries to conceal.
Forgiveness is not denial. It is not spiritual bypassing. It is a grace which is often slow, often costly, but real.
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:32
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Credits
- Host & Producer: Dr. Carron Silva
- Podcast Editor: Dr. Carron Silva
- Cover Art Designer: Dr. Carron Silva
- Music: Kode M (@kodemaster90)
- Social Media Manager: Diamond_Media00
Disclaimer
Opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. Guests are welcomed in a spirit of respectful dialogue and freedom of expression.
A Final Word
Thank you for listening, Friend.
Remember: Forgiveness is for YOU.