The Imagination S6E29 | Rafael Viola - Survivor's Explosive Exposé on the Catholic Church & Vatican's Darkest Secret
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Today I’m honored to introduce you all to: Institutional and ritualistic abuse survivor, whistleblower and overcomer, published writer and author, public speaker and podcaster, travel lover, campaigner of historical child abuse, and a man determined to speak out, challenge institutional defensiveness, and advocate for survivor-led accountability and change: Rafael Viola
A little bit about Rafael and what you can expect to hear on today’s episode:
In the gritty underbelly of 1960s Britain, where poverty gripped families like a vice and the Catholic Church loomed as an unassailable pillar of holiness, a young boy named Rafael Viola was thrust into a nightmare that would test the limits of human endurance. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Rafael grew up in a bustling household of many siblings amid the stark realities of deprivation.
In 1969, at just nine years old, Rafael's family relocated to Coventry, England, seeking better fortunes. But the transition shattered him. A psychological test labeled him "severely retarded" - a misdiagnosis that would haunt him for years. His mother, unable to read or speak English fluently, unwittingly signed papers committing him to the care of the local authority. As a Catholic, he was sent to Croome Court, a so-called boarding school run by the Sisters of Charity of St. Paul's Apostle under the Birmingham Archdiocese
From the moment he arrived at nine and a half, Croome Court became a chamber of horrors. Housing around 150 children - many who were orphans, traumatized children, and children labeled as "feeble-minded" - the institution was a breeding ground for unimaginable atrocities. Nuns, priests, and staff wielded terror like a divine right.
But the abuse went far beyond bruises. Priests and staff ritualistically raped, abused and tortured children, in a pattern dating back to the 1930s, as reports later revealed. Allegations of murder surfaced - two children killed by the same order of nuns. Rafael himself endured beatings, waterboarding, scrubbing filthy toilets in pajamas with drain fluid, and being locked in pitch-black cupboards for days without food.
Today, Rafael stands unbowed - a messenger of truth, protected by a higher force. "I think I'm a messenger... I had to go through all that pain and suffering to tell my experiences." He amplifies survivors' voices, demanding justice, compensation, and change. "These atrocities are still going on... we have to stop it."
CONNECT WITH RAFAEL:
-Purchase his book "Stealing Lives": https://a.co/d/58ypG6m
-X: https://x.com/RafaelViola17
-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/violarafael/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rafael_viola
YouTube: @RafaelViola-l8p - https://www.youtube.com/@RafaelViola-l8p
CONNECT WITH EMMA / THE IMAGINATION:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@imaginationpodcastofficial EMAIL: imagineabetterworld2020@gmail.com OR standbysurvivors@protonmail.com
My Substack: https://emmakatherine.substack.com/
BUY ME A COFFEE: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theimagination
VENMO: @emmapreneur
CASHAPP: $EmmaKatherine1204
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