IN a shocking scandal that is likely to send tremors through Zimbabwe’s Catholic community, St Ignatius College in Chishawasha is embroiled in devastating allegations of sodomy and sexual abuse.
At the centre of the controversy is the late Father Brian Porter, a respected member of the clergy, whose alleged actions have left former students and victims at the learning institution reeling.
The allegations, which have sparked widespread outrage and demands for accountability, raise profound questions about the safety and well-being of students in Zimbabwe’s educational institutions, especially in Catholic-led schools.
Porter was a longstanding Jesuit missionary in Zimbabwe, and a regular visitor to Jesuit missions.
He died on July 8 aged 90.
Investigations by NewsDay Weekender unearthed that Porter’s victims since the early 1970s have formed a group titled Justice, Healing and Closure (JHC) as they seek compensation from the catholic organisation.
The victims have since approached authorities at St Ignatius College and other Jesuits at Garnet House in Mt Pleasant, Harare, as they seek redress, NewsDay Weekender is reliably informed.
The late Porter allegedly pounced on Form Ones for the several years he was at St Ignatius.
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“The abuse started from the 1970s, he would target the Form Ones. About 72 new learners would enrol each year and he would abuse some of them through sodomy, indecent assault and other forms of sexual abuse,” a source told this publication.
“A group of victims are now seeking closure over the issue. The matter was raised before Porter died, but was swept under the carpet.
“Authorities at St Ignatius and Catholics at large who have heard the allegations are questioning why issues of sexual abuse are now being raised.”
This publication confirmed that the victims held a meeting on July 20 to map the way forward in dealing with the alleged multiple abuses.
According to minutes of the meeting in possession of the NewsDay Weekender, some of the victims (names withheld) confirmed the sexual allegations against the late Jesuit.
“The chair began by giving a background to the formation of the group Justice, Healing and Closure. He advised that after the announcement of the death of Fr Porter, the main alumni group and stream groups went ablaze discussing possible sexual abusive activities of Fr Brian Porter during his time at St Ignatius College, particularly Junior House.
“It was noted that the subject became very sensitive as there appeared to be a group of former students that were apparently victims of gross sexual abuse by Fr Porter, while on other students were of the opinion that ‘let bygones be bygones’,” part of the minutes read.
St Ignatius College is a Catholic and Jesuit school based in Goromonzi district, Mashonaland East province.
This publication also gleaned some of the confessions in a social media group formed by the victims under the tag JHC.
“The embarrassment and shame that I felt when Porter made me touch his thing (manhood) still makes me full of revulsion to sex and a normal life,” confessed one of the victims.
“Being a sacristan stopped one from focusing on the role because Porter would even touch you and kiss you uchimupfekedza ma vestments (assisting him to wear Catholic regalia).
“Now every day of your life, you blame yourself for being at St Ignatius and meeting those priests. When you sleep, the thing lingers, even in your dreams.”
Porter was also the leader of the Photography Sailing Clubs at St Ignatius, with victims claiming that those clubs were his “hunting ground”.
“I was admitted to the exclusive clique of early morning mass servers because I come from a family of devout Catholics. Fr Porter invited me after lights out to come to his room and take a shower because in the morning, I had to get the chapel ready while others bathed,” recalled one of the victims.
“I just wrapped a towel and went to his room on instructions. He said I could bathe first and ran the shower for me. While in the shower, I was surprised to see him come in and squeeze me. I had to kiss his tobacco-smelling mouth and he rubbed his rough cut beard against my cheek, pulling my little John (manhood).
“He then pulled my hand and made me touch his (manhood). He asked me to masturbate him until he ejaculated. Afterwards, he went to dry and I literally ran out of his room. The next day, he tried his stunt and called me to go bath in his room, but I pretended to be asleep. I had told my brother (name withheld) who made a plan for me to bath early before mass.
“Brother was kind and he didn’t do inappropriate stuff. For the rest of my days in Junior House, even in the sailing club where he invited me, I stayed as far away from him as I could. There are other guys who were in the same stream with me that he sodomised, but it’s up to them to come forward.”
Further investigations revealed that the Catholic leadership in Zimbabwe has since engaged one Fr Anesu Manyere, a leader at Makumbe Mission, and also a counsellor to meet the victims.
Manyere has since met a few victims at Garnet House in Mt Pleasant, where he is conducting the interviews.
Garnet House is owned by the Catholic Jesuits.
Rector at St Ignatius College, Fr Lawrence Daka confirmed that there are “alleged victims” who have come forward alleging abuse by Porter.
“Fr Porter was at St Ignatius, he was living with young boys in the Junior House. What happened, we were not there. It is the alleged victims who can share the information. We have people who have lived for a long time after the abuse, only to come up now,” Daka said.
“We are taking this seriously, and we want healing and closure to those who were abused.”
Daka confirmed that they had since established a desk headed by Fr Manyere to look into the matter.
“After getting hold of the issue, we immediately activated systems to deal with it. We have father Manyere and Theresa Sanyatwe who are handling the issue. We do not want to throw anything under the carpet. They have since met few alleged victims,” he said.
“We are in the listening stages, so far we haven’t received a formal complaint. The victims are free to use their legal representations or file a police report. For us to be able to engage, we need a face to the person not a mask. So far, no one is saying ‘I’.
“We are asking: Why has this taken so long? It is not an excuse. We really want to help, give them closure and healing. The person who can deny or agree to this is late.”
Sanyatwe is responsible for child protection and safeguarding across all Jesuit schools.
Fr Nigel Johnson, who was a teacher at St Ignatius during Fr Porter’s era, said he never heard sexual abuse allegations against the late Jesuit.
According to the Jesuit website, Porter was born in Hornchurch, Essex, in 1933.
He was educated at primary school near his home by religious sisters and completed his secondary education at the Jesuit St Ignatius College, Stamford Hill, North London.
He did the normal course of studies in philosophy and theology at the old Heythrop in Oxfordshire and did his regency at three places in Zimbabwe, ie St George’s College (1960), St Paul’s Musami (1961) under ‘Jeep’ Davis teaching Maths and working in the mission garage, and at St Ignatius College, Chishawasha, where he was one of the founding team under Fr Desmond Ford as rector in 1962.
Regency over, he went back to Heythrop for theology and was ordained in Manchester in 1966 and did his tertianship the following year at St Beuno’s in Wales.
In 1968, he returned to St Ignatius College, Chishawasha, where Jim Hughes was now rector and he was teacher, minister, bursar and boarding master for the next 20 years.
In 1989, Porter was asked to move to Garnet House as province treasurer and again he did a long stint — 20 years — in that job.
Meanwhile, he had become chaplain to the LCBL novitiate in Borrowdale and fulfilled that task from 2002 to 2015.
In 2016, he took up light duties at Garnet House, helping the new treasurer and being house bursar.
About four years later, he moved across to Richartz House.
The sexual abuse allegations have, however, divided the St Ignatius College alumni, with some rubbishing claims by the JHC team.
