Man sues diocese over sex-abuse allegations
A man who says he was molested by an Irish priest in 1984 when he was nine, is suing California’s Diocese of Santa Rosa.
The action, filed in Sonoma county Superior Court, claims the Bishop of Santa Rosa committed fraud by not revealing to the congregation that recently-arrived Patrick McCabe had been the target of several allegations of child sex abuse in his native Ireland.
McCabe, 74, who turned himself in to US authorities last month, is facing extradition to Ireland accused of sexually assaulting six boys from 1973 to 1981.
Lawyer Joe George claims in the lawsuit that his client recently found out through media reports that the bishop was aware of previous claims of sexual abuse by McCabe before he was assigned to St Bernard’s Church in Eureka, California.
