WEBVTT - S1: Ep 7 - Silence 0:00:03.240 --> 0:00:05.080 Before we start, I want to let you know that 0:00:05.120 --> 0:00:12.000 this episode contains descriptions of alleged sexual abuse. In the 0:00:12.039 --> 0:00:14.760 beginning was the word, and the word was with God, 0:00:16.680 --> 0:00:23.599 and in silence the Word of God is pronounced. Ellie 0:00:23.640 --> 0:00:26.880 Anastasia Demidova was a nun with the Missionaries of Charity. 0:00:27.000 --> 0:00:31.520 Until he now uses he him pronounced and mostly goes 0:00:31.520 --> 0:00:34.040 by the name Ellie, but he asked that we refer 0:00:34.120 --> 0:00:37.560 to him as Ellie Anastasia. Anastasia is the name he 0:00:37.640 --> 0:00:40.040 used when he was a sister in the MCS, so 0:00:40.040 --> 0:00:45.640 that's what we'll do. Ellie Anastasia always loved silence. Praying 0:00:45.680 --> 0:00:48.640 in silence brought him closer to God. He's found of 0:00:48.640 --> 0:00:52.159 a quote from Mother Teresa. In the silence, God speaks. 0:00:52.960 --> 0:00:56.560 It is not the empty silence, silence field with the 0:00:56.640 --> 0:01:01.320 presence presence something which is greater than human being, then universe, 0:01:01.720 --> 0:01:06.840 than anything else, the presence of something which is untouchable. 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:13.520 But now silence is painful. Since he left the Missionaries 0:01:13.520 --> 0:01:20.679 of Charity, he avoids it. So I guess he leaves 0:01:20.680 --> 0:01:23.440 a television on when he's at home, especially at night, 0:01:24.400 --> 0:01:33.800 to make some kind of noise. Why do you think 0:01:33.880 --> 0:01:40.199 silence is hard because it comes back. The mmur is back. 0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:45.560 Maybe the most probably night is connected to the time 0:01:45.560 --> 0:01:50.120 when everything was happening. This anxiety again comes and the 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:56.600 memories comes back. Never Never, I can sleep in silence 0:02:04.040 --> 0:02:07.120 from Rococo Punch and I Hurt Radio. This is the turning. 0:02:07.600 --> 0:02:17.600 I'm Erica Lance Part seven silence. Um, all right, I'm 0:02:17.680 --> 0:02:22.200 just gonna press record on my end. Let's see so 0:02:22.320 --> 0:02:26.960 your headphones are plugged in, right, Yeah. When we video chat, 0:02:26.960 --> 0:02:30.600 Ellie Anastasia smiles a lot in this earnest almost shy 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:39.760 way testing testing. Yeah. Ellie Anastasia is thirty three years old. 0:02:40.240 --> 0:02:43.320 He's originally from Russia. There's the sweetness that radiates from 0:02:43.360 --> 0:02:45.800 him when he talks. He always wears a cap on 0:02:45.880 --> 0:02:49.280 his head with all his hair tucked into it. Today, 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:53.200 Ellie Anastasia calls himself a human rights defender. He advocates 0:02:53.200 --> 0:02:58.160 for the LGBTQ community and abuse victims. But back he 0:02:58.280 --> 0:03:00.840 was twenty six years old and he was a pastilant 0:03:00.919 --> 0:03:04.360 in the Missionaries of Charity. He was stationed in West Bengal, 0:03:04.440 --> 0:03:07.480 India and a city culture Sarah. It's a small city 0:03:07.520 --> 0:03:11.800 by Indian standards, about three people even though they were 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:15.280 in a city, ali Anastasia says, the empty house felt isolated, 0:03:15.840 --> 0:03:19.040 like they were living off the map. There weren't many 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:21.679 Christians in the area, and without cars, they had to 0:03:21.720 --> 0:03:23.640 walk two hours to get to a church for Mass 0:03:23.680 --> 0:03:26.920 on Sunday. No television, no ragio, no news in general 0:03:27.000 --> 0:03:29.639 in the city. We never knew what was happening. It's 0:03:29.800 --> 0:03:33.079 very hot. Sometimes it is horrible raining, a lot of 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:38.240 monkeys just throwing everything around you. Despite the isolation and 0:03:38.320 --> 0:03:42.160 the monkeys that tore up the MC's garden, Elianastasia loved 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:45.360 being there. I was so happy that my aim was 0:03:45.520 --> 0:03:49.040 just I want to serve God. I love God. I 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:51.960 just want to live a proper life and to pray 0:03:52.080 --> 0:03:54.920 and to love the poor and soul. He asked his 0:03:54.960 --> 0:03:57.560 fellow sisters how to say words in Bengali so he 0:03:57.600 --> 0:04:01.000 could talk to the people who lived there. Please teach 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:02.800 me how to tell him God loves you. I have 0:04:02.920 --> 0:04:07.280 to tell people about love. I was just happy person. 0:04:08.480 --> 0:04:11.240 He remembers the first time he met his mistress, the 0:04:11.320 --> 0:04:13.640 nun in charge of his spiritual formation and day to 0:04:13.720 --> 0:04:17.400 day life. The mistress was also the superior of the house. 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:20.440 Usually those positions are separate, so it was like the 0:04:20.520 --> 0:04:24.320 mistress was both Elie Anastasia's boss and his boss's boss. 0:04:25.120 --> 0:04:28.280 Something control was just frightening me. Maybe it was just 0:04:28.320 --> 0:04:32.080 psychological because my vocations dependent on their first person, or 0:04:32.160 --> 0:04:35.120 I don't know, but Elie Anastasia told me after he'd 0:04:35.160 --> 0:04:37.240 been there a couple of weeks, the mistress, who are 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:41.440 not naming, started showing him special attention. She ate meals 0:04:41.480 --> 0:04:43.680 with him, just the two of them. She talked about 0:04:43.720 --> 0:04:47.600 mutual acquaintances, she empathized with challenges Eli Anastasia had faced 0:04:47.600 --> 0:04:51.599 in the past. In one conversation, his mistress said she'd 0:04:51.640 --> 0:04:54.520 received a message from the Virgin Mary that Mary told 0:04:54.560 --> 0:04:58.560 her to become Elie Anastasia's spiritual mother, his personal mentor 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:02.120 and guide. Elie Anastasia showed us a note he says 0:05:02.160 --> 0:05:05.520 he received from his mistress. It says, my dear little 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:09.160 spiritual child, thank you for accepting me as your spiritual mum, 0:05:09.839 --> 0:05:14.200 and then mourns this note is only for you. All 0:05:14.279 --> 0:05:17.400 of this seemed strange, given MC rules against close friendship 0:05:17.480 --> 0:05:21.360 and special attention, but Ellie Anastasia didn't question it. It 0:05:21.520 --> 0:05:25.720 wasn't his place to question. Then, one evening, they were 0:05:25.720 --> 0:05:29.159 in the sacristy, a room off the chapel. They were alone. 0:05:30.040 --> 0:05:32.640 Ellie Anastasia's mistress asked him to sit next to her 0:05:32.720 --> 0:05:36.799 on a stool. Then the mistress stood up and pulled 0:05:36.800 --> 0:05:40.160 Elie Anastasia's head to her belly. She held it there. 0:05:41.040 --> 0:05:45.440 She uttered these phrases like she was soothing him. Mother medic, 0:05:46.720 --> 0:05:52.200 You need so much attention, you need special attention and care. 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:58.880 And like I'm seeking at what's going on? Why she's 0:05:58.960 --> 0:06:02.880 doing like that? Because it was lasting half or forty minutes. 0:06:02.920 --> 0:06:06.080 That that was so long. How to react? She's superior, 0:06:06.120 --> 0:06:08.640 she's mistress. What she's doing, I don't understand. I'm just 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:12.520 praying this gut, let it stop. What is going on? 0:06:16.360 --> 0:06:20.760 Around this time, Elie Anastasia says his mistress began sexualizing 0:06:20.760 --> 0:06:24.080 their day to day interactions. At the breakfast table, she 0:06:24.160 --> 0:06:27.320 read aloud letters from Mother Teresa that mentioned issues like masturbation. 0:06:28.040 --> 0:06:31.000 Sometimes in class, she read from a controversial spiritual text 0:06:31.400 --> 0:06:35.320 that hinted an incestuous relationship between Jesus and his mother Mary. 0:06:36.560 --> 0:06:40.160 Elie Anastasia thought, this is bizarre, but he kept to 0:06:40.279 --> 0:06:44.120 his duties. But everything turned worse I don't know how 0:06:44.200 --> 0:06:46.320 many weeks past, maybe two or three weeks from the 0:06:46.360 --> 0:06:49.880 beginning of the past. His mistress asked if he wanted 0:06:49.920 --> 0:06:53.120 to join her for night adoration, basically a prayer session. 0:06:54.040 --> 0:06:57.719 Elie Anastasia was excited. It was a chance for real silence, 0:06:58.200 --> 0:07:01.040 no sounds, no know, it's just to just undergotten you 0:07:01.240 --> 0:07:05.479 and this is wonderful. After the evening bell rang at 0:07:05.520 --> 0:07:10.120 ten pm, Ellie Anastasia went to the chapel. His mistress 0:07:10.160 --> 0:07:13.200 sat close and shared stories from her life. By two 0:07:13.360 --> 0:07:16.840 or three am, Elie Anastasia was falling asleep. He asked 0:07:16.880 --> 0:07:18.960 for permission to go to bed, got a couple of 0:07:19.040 --> 0:07:23.000 hours of rest Before the morning bell. The next day, 0:07:23.520 --> 0:07:26.320 the mistress asked him again, please join me for night prayers. 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:30.120 Elie Anastasia was sleep deprived from the night before, but 0:07:30.280 --> 0:07:33.760 agreed again. They stayed in the chapel until early in 0:07:33.800 --> 0:07:37.720 the morning. Ellie Anastasia says, this time, when he started 0:07:37.720 --> 0:07:40.760 to nod off, the mistress pulled his head onto her lap. 0:07:41.560 --> 0:07:45.280 Then the mistress repeated the odd phrases. Mother Mighty asked 0:07:45.320 --> 0:07:47.280 me to be your mother. I will be a good 0:07:47.400 --> 0:07:50.760 mother to you. Just got once to your night with 0:07:50.920 --> 0:07:53.240 you and so on, like she's lulling you because you're 0:07:53.280 --> 0:07:57.000 so tired. Yeah, you understand. I can't understand how it 0:07:57.080 --> 0:08:01.520 happened because in one second she started ahead and then 0:08:01.720 --> 0:08:06.160 finding that she's putting her breast into my mouth. I'm lying, 0:08:06.280 --> 0:08:08.680 lying then and like she's putting her breath, but I 0:08:08.760 --> 0:08:13.840 breast into my mouth. I'm paralyzed that moment, what is 0:08:13.880 --> 0:08:17.040 going on? And she speaking something It was something like 0:08:17.240 --> 0:08:20.680 Mother Mary was feeding Jesus. And then I'm just paralyzed, 0:08:21.560 --> 0:08:23.320 and I don't know what to do because her breast 0:08:23.360 --> 0:08:28.720 in my mouth, and that's awful. Just and I don't 0:08:28.760 --> 0:08:31.800 know how long it was going on. Actually it was 0:08:31.880 --> 0:08:36.040 like everything for me, everything stopped. Then there was a 0:08:36.080 --> 0:08:39.679 noise from the staircase, someone walking near the chapel. The 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:46.679 mistress quickly covered herself with her Sorry again, Elianastasia. I 0:08:46.720 --> 0:08:48.839 didn't know what to make of what was happening. He 0:08:49.000 --> 0:08:52.160 had no words. He grew up sheltered, no talk of 0:08:52.240 --> 0:08:55.480 sexual abuse, and he says he never received any training 0:08:55.520 --> 0:08:58.640 from the missionaries of charity about sexual harassment or what 0:08:58.840 --> 0:09:04.079 constitutes an appropriate behavior, even though this was a superior 0:09:04.520 --> 0:09:09.400 the direct voice of God something felt incredibly wrong. How 0:09:09.480 --> 0:09:13.000 does possible something like that to happen in front of 0:09:13.080 --> 0:09:27.960 the blessed sacrament the holiest of holy. Stories about sexual 0:09:28.000 --> 0:09:31.040 abuse are often really hard to investigate, and it's even 0:09:31.120 --> 0:09:33.520 harder in a group like this that's closed to outsiders. 0:09:34.120 --> 0:09:37.800 So we partnered with an investigative reporting team type Investigations, 0:09:38.240 --> 0:09:42.120 and we worked with reporter Katherine Joyce. So, Catherine, you know, 0:09:42.360 --> 0:09:44.800 we don't know where sisters are stationed. In some cases, 0:09:44.840 --> 0:09:46.720 we might not even know if they're in the order anymore. 0:09:47.240 --> 0:09:49.880 We don't know their real or secular names, and their 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:51.960 mail is read by their superior so if we send 0:09:52.000 --> 0:09:54.680 them a letter, it might not even get to them. Yeah, 0:09:54.880 --> 0:09:56.839 I think that this was one of the things that 0:09:56.960 --> 0:10:00.480 was more challenging about reporting this story than any other 0:10:00.600 --> 0:10:03.960 that I've done. It is such an insular group. There's 0:10:03.960 --> 0:10:07.440 a mother's period who like is ultimately making a decision 0:10:07.679 --> 0:10:11.120 about whether or not people can speak to us, and 0:10:12.080 --> 0:10:18.040 that insularity is so much more formalized than in a 0:10:18.120 --> 0:10:21.560 lot of other groups that I've looked at um Over 0:10:21.640 --> 0:10:24.679 the past decade plus, I've I've reported on this a 0:10:24.800 --> 0:10:29.440 number of times, sometimes looking at abuse in specific Catholic 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:36.440 churches sometimes looking at big fundamentalist or evangelical institutions, um, 0:10:36.559 --> 0:10:40.040 whether that's someplace like Bob Jones University or a very 0:10:40.200 --> 0:10:43.360 large overseas mission group that has a lot of members. 0:10:44.000 --> 0:10:46.800 So I've I've seen this sort of stuff in in 0:10:46.920 --> 0:10:50.760 different settings before, and I think that there are some similarities. 0:10:51.360 --> 0:10:53.720 But one thing that was pretty interesting in this case 0:10:54.760 --> 0:10:59.080 is that there was a substantial paper trail. Yeah. I mean, 0:10:59.120 --> 0:11:02.000 we collected a lot of documents about this story, and 0:11:02.240 --> 0:11:04.959 Eli Anastasia isn't the only person with an allegation of 0:11:05.040 --> 0:11:08.120 sexual abuse in the MCS. We also spoke with another 0:11:08.200 --> 0:11:10.520 former sister named Betilde, and we're going to get to 0:11:10.559 --> 0:11:13.679 her story a little later. To confirm both stories, we 0:11:14.160 --> 0:11:19.800 reviewed legal documents, church investigation reports, emails from the MCS 0:11:19.840 --> 0:11:23.920 regarding their policies. Plus we had dozens of letters that 0:11:24.000 --> 0:11:27.599 both Batilde and eli Anastasia had been sending back and 0:11:27.720 --> 0:11:30.079 forth with the m c's or other members of the 0:11:30.160 --> 0:11:34.079 Catholic hierarchy, other people in their lives, sort of testifying 0:11:34.120 --> 0:11:36.840 to what had happened to them. We really did want 0:11:36.880 --> 0:11:39.439 to hear from the missionaries of charity on this, and 0:11:39.640 --> 0:11:42.240 we we wrote to them several times. We sent them 0:11:42.280 --> 0:11:46.240 a comprehensive list of questions. They didn't answer those questions, 0:11:46.400 --> 0:11:48.839 but we did get a statement from an MC spokesperson 0:11:49.559 --> 0:11:54.360 who told us that the alleged abusers vehemently denied the allegations. Yeah, 0:11:54.400 --> 0:11:56.839 we we asked to speak to them directly, um, but 0:11:57.000 --> 0:12:01.400 the MCS declined. That spokesperson also told us that the 0:12:01.520 --> 0:12:05.400 fact that Elianastasia and Bettild quote believe they were abused 0:12:05.600 --> 0:12:09.839 is without question, but continued that the evidence compiled and 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:14.760 the investigations the missionaries of charity conducted contradicts their accusations. 0:12:15.760 --> 0:12:19.640 They're basically saying that they investigated the abuse and they 0:12:19.720 --> 0:12:23.040 say that the abuse did not happen. Yep. You know. 0:12:23.120 --> 0:12:24.599 The other thing that stuck out to me in this 0:12:24.760 --> 0:12:28.679 response is the suggestion that these former sisters both had 0:12:28.760 --> 0:12:33.640 mental health problems. They also emphasized that neither of them 0:12:33.720 --> 0:12:37.200 took vows, basically implying that they weren't real missionaries of charity, 0:12:37.679 --> 0:12:40.719 sort of as a defense against these allegations. You know, 0:12:40.800 --> 0:12:46.240 there there is a long history of responding to rape 0:12:46.240 --> 0:12:50.800 allegations or abuse allegations by denigrating the mental health of 0:12:50.960 --> 0:12:55.000 the person who's making the accusation or delegitimizing them in 0:12:55.520 --> 0:12:59.440 in one way or another, um basically calling them crazy, 0:12:59.760 --> 0:13:02.880 the sickly calling them crazy. You know, back during the 0:13:02.920 --> 0:13:06.320 Bill Clinton era, the defense that was commonly made against 0:13:06.360 --> 0:13:09.440 all of the women who came forward with allegations against 0:13:09.480 --> 0:13:12.960 President Clinton was referred to as nuts and sluts because 0:13:13.280 --> 0:13:17.640 women were just being constantly dismissed as either crazy or promiscuous. 0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:19.839 I mean, I just think that it is a it's 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:34.160 a common thing, this praying together. It became a nightly ritual. 0:13:35.040 --> 0:13:39.160 And Elie Anastasia says his mistress pushed things further. She 0:13:39.280 --> 0:13:42.959 was trying to put but it should not be at all, never, never, never, 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:46.480 because of the world. Chastity first to fall under my 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:50.520 skirt and I said, whoa stop, what are you doing? 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:55.040 The mistress pulled back her hand but kept moving her 0:13:55.080 --> 0:14:01.199 body against his. And it was just awful. Elie Anastasia, 0:14:01.200 --> 0:14:04.640 I wanted to tell someone. He tried to describe this thing. 0:14:04.720 --> 0:14:08.480 He didn't understand. In confession, he says, the priest dismissed 0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:13.520 him child. Your Supena knows anco whatever. She would not 0:14:13.800 --> 0:14:19.240 wish anything bad to you. She's your Supiter, listen and 0:14:19.320 --> 0:14:25.040 do what she tells you. Ellie Anastasia thought maybe he 0:14:25.080 --> 0:14:27.720 could phone another priest he knew, but he had to 0:14:27.760 --> 0:14:30.040 ask his mistress for permission to use a pay phone 0:14:30.040 --> 0:14:33.800 in town. Then his mistress stood directly beside him while 0:14:33.840 --> 0:14:36.760 he made the call. It seemed like there was no 0:14:36.840 --> 0:14:40.040 way to tell anyone, so Ellie Anastasia says that the 0:14:40.080 --> 0:14:50.080 abuse continued for months. This type of abuse, he alleges 0:14:50.200 --> 0:14:52.600 abuse by a nun, It tends to fly under the 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:55.800 radar in the Catholic Church, partly because people don't expect 0:14:55.840 --> 0:15:03.760 women to be abusers. This is a very unaddressed part 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:08.280 of Catholic Church history. Mary dispense I used to be 0:15:08.360 --> 0:15:11.480 a nun. She now works with SNAP, the Survivors Network 0:15:11.600 --> 0:15:15.560 for those abused by priests. She leads support groups for survivors. 0:15:15.960 --> 0:15:19.160 She's their point person for abuse involving nuns. I have 0:15:19.360 --> 0:15:24.600 probably heard from a hundred and twenty or so survivors 0:15:24.680 --> 0:15:28.840 of of non abuse. It wasn't until after she started 0:15:28.920 --> 0:15:31.960 leading support groups for survivors of none abuse that she 0:15:32.080 --> 0:15:34.080 realized an incident from her own time as a nun 0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:37.120 had been sexual assault. That's how hard it can be 0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:41.080 to recognize none abuse. Sometimes religious orders are a little 0:15:41.120 --> 0:15:45.560 bit different from let's say the clergy, because you build up, 0:15:45.800 --> 0:15:51.960 especially women religious you you really become a family. I 0:15:52.120 --> 0:15:57.200 often say religious abuse within orders men and women is 0:15:57.360 --> 0:16:02.960 very much like incest. The tendencies even greater to keep 0:16:03.080 --> 0:16:06.160 quiet and silent because you don't want to hurst your family. 0:16:07.480 --> 0:16:11.280 And then there's the vow of obedience. They're afraid because 0:16:11.320 --> 0:16:14.200 they're taught. If you ask questions, it's a sin. If 0:16:14.240 --> 0:16:17.200 you doubt anything, it's a sin. This is Tom Doyle. 0:16:17.640 --> 0:16:20.000 He was a Catholic priest for forty years. In the 0:16:20.120 --> 0:16:22.840 nineteen eighties, he became one of the first priests to 0:16:22.960 --> 0:16:26.240 draw attention to the clergy sex abuse crisis. He wrote 0:16:26.280 --> 0:16:28.680 a ninety two page report that urged the church to 0:16:28.760 --> 0:16:31.440 take the problem seriously. It was the end of my 0:16:31.600 --> 0:16:35.840 career in the Vatican as as as a priest. Almost 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:38.640 twenty years later, the National Catholic Reporter wrote that his 0:16:38.720 --> 0:16:42.640 report had been prophetic. Today, Doyle estimates his report has 0:16:42.680 --> 0:16:45.400 been cited in thousands of lawsuits, and he's become a 0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:48.440 global expert. He's worked on or consulted on more than 0:16:48.480 --> 0:16:52.600 a thousand clergy sex abuse cases around the world. He 0:16:52.680 --> 0:16:55.680 says the rigid hierarchy in conservative religious orders like the 0:16:55.720 --> 0:17:00.480 missionaries of charity can trap abuse victims. The religious orders 0:17:01.240 --> 0:17:04.280 where the Mother General or the Mother Superior's word was 0:17:04.400 --> 0:17:08.200 considered to be the word of God, so that even 0:17:08.240 --> 0:17:11.880 if they would tell you, even if the Superior gives 0:17:11.920 --> 0:17:15.480 you an order that is wrong, you have to obey 0:17:15.560 --> 0:17:26.720 it because it's God's word. Now that is insanity. Elianastasia 0:17:26.840 --> 0:17:29.159 learned to follow the rule of obedience years before he 0:17:29.240 --> 0:17:32.640 ever came to India. Back in two thousand eight, six 0:17:32.760 --> 0:17:35.920 years before his time mentioned Sarah, he was just starting out. 0:17:36.480 --> 0:17:39.920 He was an m C pre aspirant in Poland. One 0:17:39.960 --> 0:17:42.240 day he got news that his grandmother, who was like 0:17:42.320 --> 0:17:46.280 a mother to him, had died. The mistress in Poland 0:17:46.320 --> 0:17:50.399 scolded him for crying. Elianastasia asked for permission to go 0:17:50.480 --> 0:17:53.320 home for the funeral, but the mistress said, if you 0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:56.600 want to go to funeral or somewhere else but your thinks, 0:17:56.640 --> 0:18:00.480 to go away and never come back again, or shut 0:18:00.560 --> 0:18:04.680 up and go and smile to your So basically, either 0:18:04.880 --> 0:18:07.000 leave and go to the funeral but never come back, 0:18:08.240 --> 0:18:12.000 or stay but stop crying. Go smile and be a sister. 0:18:12.480 --> 0:18:15.080 And it was just one or two hours after I 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:18.320 got the phone call about this that all my heart 0:18:18.440 --> 0:18:23.480 was broken. The kids, I choose you and what I 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:27.600 did I could I for the last time, I went 0:18:27.720 --> 0:18:33.200 and I started to smile. Elianastasia I was eventually dismissed 0:18:33.240 --> 0:18:35.720 from the empty house in Poland. He told us he 0:18:35.800 --> 0:18:39.320 doesn't know why. When we asked the Missionaries of Charity 0:18:39.400 --> 0:18:43.480 for comment, an authorized spokesperson claimed eli Anastasia was dismissed 0:18:43.520 --> 0:18:47.159 because of his personal conduct. The spokesperson said it included 0:18:47.200 --> 0:18:48.920 a claim that he put his hand on the throat 0:18:48.960 --> 0:18:54.040 of a fellow aspirate. The spokesperson also alleges that Elianastasia's 0:18:54.080 --> 0:18:58.480 behavior follows a pattern that he quote enthusiastically enters a 0:18:58.520 --> 0:19:02.440 missionary of charity community, forms an unhealthy emotional attachment with 0:19:02.520 --> 0:19:05.800 one of its members, is rebuffed by that individual, and 0:19:05.840 --> 0:19:09.399 then engages in highly inappropriate behavior, including threats of suicide, 0:19:09.480 --> 0:19:15.640 until asked to leave. Elianastasia says none of this is true. 0:19:16.320 --> 0:19:20.680 Making up rumors and gossips is the only strategy that 0:19:20.840 --> 0:19:25.359 the religious family would choose in this terrible situation. In 0:19:25.520 --> 0:19:28.200 spite of following the way of God who is a 0:19:28.280 --> 0:19:33.000 friend of truth. Eli Anastasia says he wasn't suicidal in Poland. 0:19:33.520 --> 0:19:35.320 He felt being in the empty house in Poland was 0:19:35.359 --> 0:19:37.840 one of the happiest times in his life. And not 0:19:37.960 --> 0:19:40.280 only did he never assault his fellow aspirant, but he 0:19:40.440 --> 0:19:44.200 says the reverse actually happened. A sister who Anastasia says 0:19:44.280 --> 0:19:48.240 was troubled, had attacked him twice, ripping the buttons office shirt. Plus, 0:19:48.320 --> 0:19:50.680 he says that incident happened nearly a year before he 0:19:50.760 --> 0:19:53.000 was asked to go home, and he says during that 0:19:53.160 --> 0:19:55.879 time his superior told him to start sewing as sorry, 0:19:56.400 --> 0:19:59.640 to get ready to move to the next stage. After 0:19:59.720 --> 0:20:04.400 he Poland, Alana Stasia returned home to Russia. He volunteered 0:20:04.440 --> 0:20:07.280 with the MCS in Moscow and then he got a 0:20:07.359 --> 0:20:10.080 second chance to join the Missionaries of Charity. He could 0:20:10.119 --> 0:20:13.720 start again in India. It felt like a miracle. So 0:20:13.800 --> 0:20:16.960 when his mistress in India invited him to these night adorations, 0:20:17.560 --> 0:20:20.080 he worried that if he disobeyed, he'd be sent away again. 0:20:21.359 --> 0:20:24.119 He says the abuse began in the chapel but then 0:20:24.160 --> 0:20:27.960 spread to other parts of the house. In particular mother's room, 0:20:28.720 --> 0:20:30.920 the room in the house where mother Teresa used to stay. 0:20:31.560 --> 0:20:34.280 This is the room of abuse. It wasn't separated by 0:20:34.320 --> 0:20:37.159 a wall, just a bamboo screen and a curtain instead 0:20:37.160 --> 0:20:40.320 of a door. Just every day the same story. She 0:20:40.440 --> 0:20:43.879 was coming in the mother's room around eleven o'clock and 0:20:44.080 --> 0:20:46.920 she was taking off my clothes, she was taking off 0:20:46.960 --> 0:20:50.040 her clothes. She was lying on the bed. She was 0:20:50.119 --> 0:20:53.240 putting me on her on the top, like trying to 0:20:53.359 --> 0:20:56.760 put breast on breast, and just making the movements in 0:20:56.920 --> 0:21:01.960 order to get Aliana. Stash loses his words here, but 0:21:02.080 --> 0:21:04.879 in a letter he sent the m C, he wrote 0:21:04.920 --> 0:21:08.200 that his mistress quote moved her body till she got pleasure. 0:21:08.600 --> 0:21:12.200 She was just constantly repeating about the sacrifice and your 0:21:12.320 --> 0:21:16.320 special one. You're my Jesus, I'm marry You're like Jesus 0:21:16.359 --> 0:21:18.600 to me. You're like Jesus to me. You're like Jesus 0:21:18.640 --> 0:21:21.040 to me, and like she was whispering on my ear. 0:21:21.760 --> 0:21:24.879 This is for the salvation of the world. This is 0:21:24.960 --> 0:21:27.480 for those who are living consen This is for those 0:21:27.520 --> 0:21:30.560 who are not keeping chastity. This is not the scene, 0:21:31.160 --> 0:21:37.480 This is just the sacrifice. One time Elie Anastasia says 0:21:37.520 --> 0:21:40.840 he traveled with his mistress to Calkatta. While they are there, 0:21:41.040 --> 0:21:44.960 the mistress pointed out another nun. She said that sister 0:21:45.160 --> 0:21:49.440 betrayed her. The mistress told Elie Anastasia, I was a 0:21:49.480 --> 0:21:53.159 mother to her. She was my daughter like you, She 0:21:53.400 --> 0:21:59.080 was like my Jesus. Eli Anastasia thought to himself, this 0:21:59.240 --> 0:22:03.320 is my mistress, admitting she's done this before. The mistress 0:22:03.359 --> 0:22:06.760 then turned to Elie Anastasia and said, will you betray 0:22:08.040 --> 0:22:35.720 why are you going to be my judas? For decades, 0:22:35.840 --> 0:22:37.920 the news has been full of stories of sexual abuse 0:22:38.000 --> 0:22:40.840 scandals in the Catholic Church. They started coming to light 0:22:40.840 --> 0:22:43.720 while Mother Teresa was still alive and came close to home. 0:22:44.440 --> 0:22:46.840 I don't know how actually know about Tell McGuire, but 0:22:46.960 --> 0:22:51.760 he was a serial abuser of boys. Terry McKiernan is 0:22:51.800 --> 0:22:55.600 the founder of Bishop Accountability, an organization that documents abuse 0:22:55.640 --> 0:22:59.200 in the Catholic Church. He's referring to Donald McGuire, formerly 0:22:59.280 --> 0:23:02.959 Father Donald Aguire, a Jesuit priest defract into thousand eight. 0:23:04.000 --> 0:23:06.080 Donald McGuire was one of many priests who went to 0:23:06.160 --> 0:23:09.520 prison for sexually abusing boys, and one of the most prominent. 0:23:10.200 --> 0:23:13.760 He was a conservative and inspiring priest with powerful friends. 0:23:14.440 --> 0:23:20.439 His m O was that he targeted wealthy, right wing 0:23:20.560 --> 0:23:25.800 Catholic families, and once he ingratiated himself into that family 0:23:25.880 --> 0:23:30.080 and began cycling off funds, he would also convince them 0:23:30.160 --> 0:23:34.080 to allow their twelve or thirteen year old son to 0:23:34.240 --> 0:23:38.880 accompany him as his secretary. During these trips, which were 0:23:39.080 --> 0:23:41.600 you know, pictually, he was always in the road, he 0:23:41.680 --> 0:23:44.399 would sexually assault the boy who had been taken to 0:23:44.440 --> 0:23:53.200 be his his secretary. McGuire became a spiritual director of 0:23:53.240 --> 0:23:56.320 the Missionaries of Charity. He traveled the world to MC 0:23:56.480 --> 0:24:00.000 houses to hear confessions from m C sisters and held 0:24:00.119 --> 0:24:03.600 dozens of retreats for the order. Mother Teresa also met 0:24:03.600 --> 0:24:08.200 alone with him for confession and spiritual advice. You've actually 0:24:08.240 --> 0:24:11.320 heard about Donald McGuire before. He's the priest who warned 0:24:11.400 --> 0:24:14.439 Joan Worcester not to leave the MCS or she'd get 0:24:14.480 --> 0:24:19.240 divorced and have children with disabilities. In the ninet nineties, 0:24:19.640 --> 0:24:22.359 McGuire was removed from his position in the church because 0:24:22.400 --> 0:24:26.320 of abuse allegations. The San Francisco Weekly published a letter 0:24:26.400 --> 0:24:28.920 that appeared to be written by Mother Teresa, though it 0:24:29.040 --> 0:24:32.600 wasn't signed in it. She worried about the reputation of 0:24:32.680 --> 0:24:36.720 the priesthood. She said she trusted McGuire and she wished 0:24:36.760 --> 0:24:40.000 to quote see his vital ministry resume as soon as possible. 0:24:41.640 --> 0:24:45.800 McGuire did return, an allegation soon emerged that his abuse continued. 0:24:47.240 --> 0:24:50.160 In an emailed statement, the mc spokesperson said they didn't 0:24:50.160 --> 0:24:53.800 believe Mother Teresa personally wrote the letter supporting McGuire, and 0:24:53.880 --> 0:24:57.119 that McGuire had deceived Mother Teresa and betrayed her trust. 0:24:59.200 --> 0:25:02.400 In two thousands, Donald McGuire went to trial for abuse. 0:25:03.240 --> 0:25:07.399 Mother Teresa's successor sister near Malajoshi, sent a letter to 0:25:07.480 --> 0:25:12.040 the judge defending his character. The sisters, and they're very distinctive, 0:25:12.200 --> 0:25:16.399 guard attended the trial to support him. There are pictures 0:25:16.440 --> 0:25:19.520 of this in the courthouse. The sisters wore buttons on 0:25:19.560 --> 0:25:23.760 their saries that read I support father McGuire. The sisters 0:25:23.840 --> 0:25:27.800 were very very present at that trial. In the end, 0:25:27.880 --> 0:25:30.840 he was convicted and sent to prison for twenty five years. 0:25:36.840 --> 0:25:38.960 What happened with Donald McGuire and the m C S 0:25:39.560 --> 0:25:41.760 It gives me a sense of how the congregation responds 0:25:41.800 --> 0:25:45.520 to sexual abuse from the top down. And that's what 0:25:45.600 --> 0:25:47.920 I think this episode is about, not just how a 0:25:48.000 --> 0:25:51.000 culture can enable abuse, but also how a system works 0:25:51.000 --> 0:25:54.000 when abuse comes to light. It makes me think of 0:25:54.040 --> 0:25:57.000 a story Mary Johnson told me. You've heard from Mary 0:25:57.080 --> 0:25:59.960 Johnson throughout this series. One time she told me something 0:26:00.080 --> 0:26:02.480 that caught my attention, a story that seemed to shed 0:26:02.600 --> 0:26:04.680 light on the culture of the congregation when it comes 0:26:04.760 --> 0:26:08.520 to sexual assault. There was one time there was a 0:26:08.640 --> 0:26:13.320 sister she was very upset about something. Mary had a 0:26:13.400 --> 0:26:17.159 lot of responsibility. She traveled with Mother Teresa. She prepared 0:26:17.200 --> 0:26:21.440 sisters her final vows, basically upper management. She says. She 0:26:21.560 --> 0:26:23.440 told me at one point that she learned about something 0:26:23.480 --> 0:26:26.119 that happened to several sisters in Europe. There was a 0:26:26.280 --> 0:26:29.879 terrible thing that happened um in a convent in a 0:26:30.040 --> 0:26:37.120 remote location, and one night men broke into the convent 0:26:37.240 --> 0:26:44.160 and they raped the sisters, and it was a really 0:26:44.359 --> 0:26:49.320 horrible thing. Mary says this story was somewhat common knowledge 0:26:49.359 --> 0:26:53.119 among sisters. With authority. She heard about it from several nuns, 0:26:53.640 --> 0:26:57.000 including one who was there that night. Another former sister 0:26:57.119 --> 0:26:59.520