A woman accuses a priest of being responsible for an assault at a Manitoba residential school
Description
For my initial years as a child, I studied at a Manitoba school. There was a girl in my class that often appeared silent, and we all thought that is how she had always been. However, recently, I saw her on the news, and that answered about her behavior. I was disheartened to see how she was fighting for justice for the incident that occurred at the same school where I studied.
On March 7, 2023, a former priest who had worked at a residential school in Manitoba appeared in court in Winnipeg to face an indecent assault charge against a 10-year-old girl that occurred over 50 years ago.
Arthur Masse, who had served at Fort Alexander residential school in Sagkeeng First Nation between 1966 and 1970, pleaded not guilty in September after being arrested at his Winnipeg home in June 2022. On McIntosh's request, a publication ban on the victim's identity was lifted.
She testified in court that Masse assaulted her in a girls' bathroom at the school. According to McIntosh, Masse entered her stall, lifted her, pressed her against the wall with one arm, kissed her, and attempted to remove her clothing. As she fled, Masse warned her not to disclose what had occurred. She explained that she tried to erase Masse from her memory and succeeded for most of her life until she could no longer do so.
According to McIntosh, her recollections of her time at Fort Alexander residential school are burdensome, but she has never allowed them to hold her back.
My Thoughts
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