Dear Holy Father

I left my increasingly verbally and psychologically abusive husband after 29 years. I couldn’t take it any more, nor could I let our daughters see it as an example of life in marriage. In the end we divorced. I left the Catholic church at the same time.

We were a couple who sat in the front row of church every Sunday, raised our daughters in Catholic schools, sent them to Antioch (friends there still their friends) and looked like a model Catholic family. What happened? My husband wouldn’t hear my cries for honesty in himself and our marriage. He was drinking and gambling away his hard earned money. He took it out on me.

Then I heard George Pell say “This isn’t a cafeteria faith where you pick out what you want and leave the rest”. So I figured I just couldn’t stay. I gave up being a Catholic and a Christian.

I cooperated with the church for an annulment – that he wanted- and some man said “Mother church cares about your spiritual development”. Where was Mother Church when I was being abused? George Pell was in charge, that’s where.

I have now happily remarried an Anglican, and worship in a Unitarian Church. I am happy. Yet to this day I feel so sad because I had to leave a church I loved because it wasn’t a “cafeteria” faith. My faith went with it. I wish I could believe again, but I just cannot.{jcomments on}