The Silence

FRONTLINE examines a little-known chapter of the Catholic Church sex abuse story -- decades of abuse of Native Americans by priests and other church workers in Alaska. All told, they would leave behind a trail of hundreds of claims of abuse, making this one of the hardest hit regions in the country. "The Silence" is the first of two FRONTLINE magazine segments airing Apr 19.

"The police were not called. Even when there was an eyewitness to the abuse," attorney Ken Roosa tells FRONTLINE in "The Silence," airing April 19. FRONTLINE examines a little-known chapter of the Catholic Church sex abuse story -- decades of abuse of Native Americans by priests and other church workers in Alaska.

Tom Curran and reporter Mark Trahant examine a little-known chapter of the Catholic Church sex abuse story: decades of abuse of Native Americans by priests and church workers in Alaska. The Silence shows how the isolation of the villages and the absolute authority of the church over the Native population created an atmosphere where molestation could go unchecked and unreported.