‘Evil does exist’: Louisiana victim of Catholic priest abuse urges reform

Tim Gioe, who was groomed as a child, is pressing for parental consent to be obtained before priests are left alone with children

Tim Gioe will never forget how his Roman Catholic priest, Patrick Wattigny, used their time alone when he was a boy. It was during these moments together - during the sacrament of confession - that Wattigny began grooming him for sexual abuse, of which the clergyman was recently convicted.

So now the 36-year-old Gioe and his wife, Sarah, who are raising three sons together, are advocating for schools and other parochial institutions to be formally required to obtain fully informed parental consent before priests are left alone with children to hear about - and forgive - their sins as part of what is also known as reconciliation.