According to The Examiner, three men have alleged in lawsuits that they were sexually abused by Msgr. Joseph Dooley. George Thompson, has accused Msgr. Dooley of molesting him, while stationed at St. John the Baptist Church in Silver Spring, from 1963 to 1967. The other two men were parishioners in Our Lady of Lourdes (Bethesda) and Annunciation (NW DC) in the late 1950's to mid-1960's.
Msgr. Dooley is a defendant in the lawsuits, even though he is dead. The three parishes and the Archdiocese are part of the lawsuit too.
According to the article, Mr. Thompson went to the Archdiocese in 2005 with the allegation and the Diocese reported it to the proper authorities.
Let us take a moment to pray:
1. For those who alleged the abuse, they they may be healed of their hurt;
2. For Msgr. Dooley (yes, if he did do the things he has been accused of, we have all been told to pray for the sinner);
3. For all of our priests, that the Lord gives them the strength to avoid the near occasion of sin and to give them strength in their everyday lives. We need them, and they need us.
Here is the story in the Examiner and here in the Post.
5 comments:
1963-1967? Just how do you go about proving that after all this time? Witnesses? Biological evidence?
That is a problem. Memories do fade, the priest is dead, lot's of things happen over a period of 40 years. This does not mean it did not happen.
Interesting that these are three of the schools and parishes that the Archdiocese wants to close. Convenient that the abuse cases name these parishes. Will this be the excuse the Archdiocese will use?
There are others, they have just not come forward.
It doesn't mean that it didn't happen but let's say the case involved a lay man. No lawyer would touch it. You can't prove this.
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