Joe Eldred

Based on your experience, what is or are the greatest obstacles that survivors face in achieving justice from their abusers and their abusers' enablers?

​

The greatest obstacle is working up the strength to take those first steps in holding the abuser accountable. You must be prepared to speak to the truth of what happened in all its ugly details. I was my worst barrier. I questioned my worth and value believing that I had nothing to say and, worse, was not worth hearing. I believed my own lies. The second great obstacle was fighting the behemoth juggernaut of the Catholic Church. They made everything harder and honestly, revictimized me. They are adept at hiding truth and making their lies believable.

​

Why did you want to participate in the making of PROCESSION?

At first I wasn't sure that I did want to participate. I found it hard to trust that someone could tell my story in an honest way. However, once I learned to trust the cast and crew of Procession a little, I learned that I could trust a lot. We created a community of victims and their loved ones that gave the honest freedom to create Procession. People who I grew to care about and I knew cared about me. Ultimately, I realized that Procession could be a tool used to help other people with trauma to get the assistance they need to heal.