Abused by a Catholic priest, this man turned back to faith for forgiveness

[rug]

Miguel Prats reflects in the sanctuary of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in downtown Houston on Good Friday, April 14, 2017. Prats, a longtime member of the Catholic church, was abused by a Catholic priest as a young man. (ANNIE MULLIGAN /FREELANCER)

By JAKE J. SMITH • 15 HOURS AGO

When Miguel Prats revs the engine of his Harley Davidson, it might sound angry to some — but not to him.

“When I’m on this bike, I literally feel surrounded by angels,” he says. “You can be frustrated, you can be anything. You get on this and go for a ride, and it just goes away.”

Today, Prats has a wide-eyed, happy-go-lucky demeanor. But he says 15 years ago, he was angry and tortured inside. In 2002, when the Boston Globe uncovered widespread sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, the story brought back a memory that Prats says he had repressed: shortly after he turned 18, he himself had been sexually abused by a priest.

When this memory came flooding back, Prats felt furious and alone. He went on the internet looking for someone to talk to. What he found was a group called Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). SNAP had helped the Globe uncover the abuse scandal. You may remember them from the film Spotlight.

http://kalw.org/post/abused-catholic-priest-man-turned-back-faith-forgiveness#stream/0

15:04 audio at link.

[jonno99]

1. An encouraging story. Thanks for the post. nt

[rug]

2. You're welcome.

[Bretton Garcia]

3. Nice article.

But is it faith, or motorcycles, that helps him?

Maybe motorcycles give some confidence in freedom and mobility....

Which is not quite religion. Though vaguely similar in some ways.