I have a terrible story to tell.

A story that implicates some of the most powerful people in the Catholic Church, starting with Cardinals Dolan and also involving ++Rigali and ++Burke, in the cover up of sexual abuse, the failure to protect the public, and the failure to care for survivors.

A story that exposes the lie behind the promises Pope Francis made in VOS ESTIS, his would-be Bill of Rights for survivors.

A story that, with a few exceptions, the St. Louis media -- KMOX, KMOV, KSDK, KWMU, KETC, and now even the Post-Dispatch -- refuse to tell.

Why?

The answer to that question is complicated -- likely involving attempts by various St. Louis institutions to HELP the Archdiocese of St. Louis that are actually ENABLING the abuse of the abused -- but is at least due to the fact that the Archdiocese of St. Louis has lied to the...

• Press.
• People of St. Louis.
• Police.

Lies that continue to play the role that now outlawed Confidentiality Agreements used to serve.

Smear Campaign

For whatever reason, the Archdiocese of St. Louis seems justified in lying.

Lying to the People of St. Louis

In the piece by Aisha Sultan in which I went public, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of St. Louis said...

…when asked to comment on O’Leary’s account, “The archdiocese’s record of Mr. O’Leary’s allegations are significantly different; however, due to a court order as well as our own ethical obligation, we are not at liberty to discuss Mr. O’Leary’s case.” Jones also said the information O’Leary shared initially changed multiple times by the time he broke off communication with the Office of Child and Youth Protection.

That's a strange thing to say, given the fact that a few weeks prior to the publication of that piece, I received an e-mail from Sandra Price of the Archdiocese in which she admitted It Happened.

Dear Chris,

You chose to litigate your claims of sexual abuse by Rev. Leroy Valentine. Your claims were acknowledged by Deacon Phil Hengen, the Archdiocese of Saint Louis and the court system. This matter has been fully settled through litigation and is final. Because your claim has been fully settled and is final the Archdiocese of Saint Louis will not be responding to any further inquiries regarding these claims. Please know that you and all victims of abuse are in my prayers and I do hope that you are able to find peace in the future. I wish you the best.

Sandra Price
Archdiocese of St. Louis

In case you missed it — and it took me 10 days to be able to see it — here are the key words.

YOUR CLAIMS WERE ACKNOWLEDGED…

Please know that YOU AND ALL VICTIMS OF ABUSE are in my prayers…

So did it happen or didn't it?

Lying to the Police

The Archdiocese of St. Louis doesn't just feel justified in lying to the people of St. Louis, they also have no problem lying to the police. In falsely, of course, accusing me of making Terroristic Threats against the Archdiocese of St. Louis and Archbishop Robert Carlson.

Archbishop Carlson Knows

I informed Archbishop Robert Carlson, head of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, of in person on March 26, 2019 and asked him to "clarify" or retract.

• O'Leary Meeting With Carlson (MP3)
• O'Leary Meeting with Carlson (PDF)

But, months later, he hasn't.

And, presumably, won't.

I assume because he was already aware of and approved of the Smear Campaign.

What's the Difference?

No, I wasn't asked/forced to sign a confidentiality agreement.

But what's the — de facto — difference between a Confidentiality Agreement and a Smear Campaign?

Both mean the victim won't be listened to.

And have the same effect.

As for whether VOS ESTIS LUX MUNDI will end this, I have my doubts given my (very recent) experiences.