Nobody's Child

Michael Seed should have received what every child deserves: love, care andttention, and the chance to be just what he was - an innocent young boy.nstead, from as far back as he can remember, Michael's childhood was nothingut a daily ordeal of unspeakable neglect, misery and abuse from a fatherhose tyranny of fear stole Michael's formative years from him and drove hisife and Michael's mother to suicide. After years of silence, he now feelseady to tell a story that, though shockingly painful, is a testament to oneuman's remarkable ability to triumph over the most appalling ofircumstances. Living under the 'care' of his adoptive parents, life forichael was hell from the start. Long before his school days, the only lessone learned was to try and avoid being noticed by his alcoholic father. If heanaged this, there was a chance of escaping the daily beatings and extremeerbal abuse he only assumed was part of normal childhood, and it would onlye his mother that would receive whatever violence was meted out that day.ore often than not, though, Daddy would find time to ensure that both

Michael Seed has been a Franciscan Friar for 25 years. He has been at Westminster Cathedral in London for 23 years, as Secretary of Ecumenical Affairs under the late Cardinal Hume and Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.