Candid Memoir, Behind Sacred Walls Tells a Young Man’s Truth
of Predatory Abuse by Catholic Priests He Trusted
Behind Sacred Walls:
The True Story of My Abuse by Catholic Priests
By Michael Roberts
The clergy abuse scandals have been exposed for several decades with the Catholic Church denying the claims and/or secretly paying victims to hush these sexual atrocities from their congregants. The accused priests almost never get arrested or go to trial, and the victims are left to deal with the abuse for the rest of their lives. Thankfully, the media and filmmakers have brought the Catholic Church’s dirty secret out into the light with documentaries and films such as Procession, Spotlight, Doubt, By the Grace of God and Primal Fear. Recently, the trial for Fr. Mark Hession in Massachusetts made the headlines as it wouldn’t have been prosecuted, if not for the parishioners at the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel who spoke out about the inappropriate, predatory behaviors they witnessed at the hands of this abusive priest.
Now another hero comes forward to tell his story about the abuse and manipulation he experienced as a teenager by several Catholic priests. In his new memoir, Behind Sacred Walls: The True Story of My Abuse by Catholic Priests, Michael Roberts tells a very candid story about the years of abuse he endured by the very priests he trusted because of his devout Catholic upbringing. These priests were welcomed into his home. They have eaten many meals with his family. They were a trusted and respected part of Michael’s life. For the first time ever, Michael Roberts explains what happened to him and how he felt powerless to break away from the abuse. Even when he finally gathered the courage to report the abuse to a trusted priest, he was sexually abused by that “man of God,” too. Roberts discusses how his own allegations were handled by the Catholic Church, and what happened to the priests involved.
In Behind Sacred Walls, Michael Roberts talks frankly about:
- Living a devout catholic family lifestyle
- As a teenager, having a man of God take interest in him
- Manipulation at the hands of trusted priests
- Navigating his sexuality prior to, during and after abuse
- The Catholic Doctrine of Mental Reservation
- The accused, his protectors and a trial that never happened
- His family’s reactions to him telling his truth
- The state of his religious beliefs now
- Therapy for victims of sexual abuse by the clergy
- Moving forward …
About Michael Roberts
Michael Roberts is the author of Behind Sacred Walls. Throughout his childhood and teenage years, religion played an important part in his development. Growing up as part of a catholic family in an all-American small town not only informed his belief system but created the perfect conditions for him to be groomed and later abused by several priests. The added layers of religious shame and the fear of his family finding out that he was homosexual were factors in the physical and psychological abuse he suffered at the hands of priests. His nearly ten years of abuse was all under the eye and institutionalized cover-up by high members of the Church.
Roberts fought alone against this centuries-old, untouchable institution in search of some form of repair and taking the reins of his own destiny. He completed his college education, graduating from a prestigious university with a bachelor’s degree in Biological Science.
His book is a cathartic, cautionary tale about blind faith, broken trust, and the loss of innocence of a young man trying to survive the deepest betrayal and trauma.
Roberts has worked as an environmental technician and as a sales and marketing manager for a biotech company that makes implements to pharmaceutical research to develop drugs. Roberts has also worked as a model in Paris, Rome, and the United States. He has appeared in television commercials and numerous print ads and catalogs, as well as runway shows.
Roberts is married to his partner, Johnathan, with whom he enjoys traveling around the world. Roberts future plans include volunteer work in wildlife conservation to help save endangered species.
