Priest Abuse of Minor in YMCA Warrants Lawsuit

The Kansas City Star has reported that a local priest has been removed of his duties by his diocese, due to their finding allegations of misconduct with minors to be credible, while a second lawsuit is now poised against both the priest and the diocese.

Within nine months there have been two sexual abuse lawsuits filed against Rev. M.T.  The current suit was filed in Jackson County Circuit Court by the victim, E.S., 52, and names both M.T. and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

The suit accuses M.T. of sexually abusing E.S. in the winter of 1971 in the locker room and pool of a YMCA.  The suit also alleges that the diocese knew of M.T.'s proclivity for misconduct with children and kept the information to themselves.

When E.S. was 13 years old, M.T. allegedly began grooming him for a friendship while at St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church. 

The suit states, "Coming to St. Elizabeth's in the 7th grade, (E.S.) did not feel he fit in.  Father (M.T.) gave him extra attention and affection, even taking him out to eat at times."

During that winter, M.T. invited the boy to join him swimming at the YMCA.  Once they arrived, and M.T. found the locker room empty of others, he removed all of his own clothes.   M.T. told E.S. that "they swim naked here."

M.T. then removed E.S.'s swim trunks and took him into the pool.  Once alone in the pool, M.T. pulled the youngster close to him, tickled and wrestled with the boy - while the two were naked.

The lawsuit continued, "(E.S.) to this day does not remember all of the events that transpired.  He does recall beginning to cry at the YMCA and he cried all the way home."

E.S. claims that his memories of the incident, that he had repressed, came flooding back to him when he learned that M.T. was still working as a priest.

Bishop R.F. removed M.T. from pastoral duties on June 2.  M.T. had been assigned to Christ of King parish in Kansas City at the time of the removal.   The diocese, and its review board, had found "credible reports alleging sexual misconduct with minors by Father (M.T.) in the early 1970s and 1980s" and that "Father (M.T.) continues to deny these allegations, but has cooperated fully in this process."

Last year's lawsuit stemmed from an allegation of molestation from another 13 year-old boy in Missouri in 1971.  In that scenario, M.T. was accused of abusing the child while helping the boy's mother with a move.

M.T. has claimed that the allegations in last year's case to be false as well.

In a third case, where M.T. was not listed as a defendant, he allegedly made "lewd and inappropriate comments" to a boy that was molested by another priest.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, SNAP, believes that M.T. should have been removed from his priestly duties sooner.  David Clohessy, the group's executive director, said, "For more than six months, SNAP repeatedly urged Bishop (R.F.) to suspend (M.T.)."

Clohessy said that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' national child sexual abuse policy was violated - as Bishop R.F. kept M.T. in his position though he had been "credibly accused".