LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette is being sued for failure to acknowledge and address a claim of sexual abuse by one of its former priests. An anonymous John Doe, now an adult male, said he was a minor at the time of the alleged abuse, according to the lawsuit filed in Hamilton Superior Court 3.
Doe alleges Father James Grear, of the Lafayette Diocese, sexually abused him at Mt. Carmel parish in Carmel, Indiana. The documents show that Doe attended confession in 1982 at St. Ann Parish in Monterey, Indiana, and disclosed the sexual abuse by Grear to Bishop Raymond Gallagher. At the time, documents show Gallagher instructed John Doe to forget about the abuse, ask God to forgive him, and not to disclose the abuse to anyone else.
The lawsuit says the Diocese "knew that Fr. Grear had sexually abused other boys before, during and after the time he abused John Doe."
Grear's whereabouts are currently unknown, documents show. The lawsuit names The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, Indiana, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Fr. James Greer and Does 1-100.
The Diocese released the following statement:
As of today, September 27, 2018, the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana has not been formerly served with notification of the lawsuit filed in Hamilton County regarding James Grear. Until the Diocese and its attorneys have been able to review the lawsuit, we are not in a position to comment on the elements of the suit. The Diocese acknowledges that James Grear was ordained a priest May of 1970 and left active ministry in 2007.
The entire lawsuit can be read here.
This story will be updated.
