The Allegation against Father Smalls is ‘Credible’ and ‘Substantiated’

The publication of a list of forty-two priests with ‘credible and substantiated’ allegation of sexual abuse against a child by the Richmond Diocese includes the name of Father Oliver Smalls. The Belizean priest has been removed from ministry and will no longer administer in public in the Diocese of Belize City and Belmopan, following the publication of that list. News Five confirmed that he left the country on Sunday on matters not related to the allegations.  That’s according to attorney Leeroy Banner. Father Smalls who is well known in several communities for his caring, charismatic and loving personality, vehemently denies the allegation made against him. A letter sent by Banner says that the allegation was made in the 1970s and Father Smalls proved his innocence by passing a lie detector test. Human rights advocate, attorney Audrey Matura, weighed in on the matter, pointing out that the Diocese of Richmond Virginia would have not published the names if the allegations were not credible and substantiated.

Audrey Matura

Audrey Matura, Attorney/Human Rights Advocate

“Clearly the Richmond, Virginia, Church would not have published the names of the priest them if they did not have sufficient evidence because they now the repercussions under the US civil and criminal system. So the mere fact that it was publish there has to be something that has been done already or something that they knew. It cannot be that that person would have that pattern of behavior in Richmond and not here. And I am hoping that if there are people here who are victims in Belize that they would readily come forward and let their case be known to the proper authorities and seek legal help. They are also entitled like all the other victims especially in the US and the rest of the world that have come forward to compensation and you need to use that compensation to go through the therapy and whatever you need. We got to break the silence. I think there is some truth to something happening and we cannot pretend we are ostrich and bury our head in the sand and pretend that it is not happening. It is happening. It creates more social problems than what we want to admit and it has created more harm in society than we can appreciate at this moment. If we peel back the layers we will find out that a lot of our social problem stem back to some sort of abuse in child hood. This is only one spectrum. This is one of the most horrific one because these boys usually go to their grave with it but yet we cannot understand their behavioral problems.”