Mr Faloon said he had personally requested to visit the parochial house on the Castlewellan Road for a final time in order to help him process the trauma of his abuse.
“It’s like someone revisiting the scene of a bad car crash. It’s difficult at the time, but it helps the person get back into the car and drive again,” he explained.
“I know that my emotions will be difficult to fight with, but it’s something that I have to manage myself to go through – to face my trauma, to face parts of my demons from the past.”
Mr Faloon said in the six years since he went public with his allegations about Finegan, he has discussed the building with Clonduff’s parish priest Fr Charlie Byrne.
He acknowledged that Fr Byrne has been “very accommodating” in considering his requests to visit the parochial house.
“But I’m sure he can recognise that I’ve put that opportunity off, because it’s so difficult to do.”
He explained that the public announcement of the demolition proposals had made him feel rushed as he was not yet “mentally prepared” to enter the building.
Mr Faloon added that if the building is to be eventually knocked down, he would like to participate in the initial demolition.
“That would be, as a metaphor, knocking that area of my trauma out of my minute-to-minute daily life.”
