Two more former Humboldt County altar boys on Thursday filed lawsuits against the Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa, claiming they were molested by an Irish priest who was assigned to their Eureka parish in the 1980s despite being identified as a pedophile.
The fraud and negligence suits are the third and fourth in less than a month from men alleging the diocese failed to disclose child sex abuse claims against the Rev. Patrick J. McCabe before employing him at St. Bernard Church.
One of the new suits was filed by a man identified only as John Doe 78, who claims he was 9 or 10 years old in 1984 when McCabe molested him after Sunday services inside the church rectory.
The other suit, filed by a man listed as John Doe 79, alleges McCabe molested him when he was 17 inside a dressing room behind the church altar. That suit also alleges the acts occurred in 1984.
Both suits contend then-Bishop Mark Hurley knew McCabe faced allegations of child sex abuse in a former assignment in Dublin, Ireland and that he had been treated for pedophilia at a New Mexico clinic. But Hurley, who died in 2001, hired him to be associate pastor in Eureka anyway, the suit alleges.
"It's just inconceivable that Bishop Hurley would place a known pedophile into St. Bernard parish without notifying anyone," said Joseph George, a Sacramento attorney representing all four plaintiffs. "It's truly unbelievable and disgusting."
The diocese has denied that it knew McCabe's history. Bishop Daniel Walsh has said there is nothing in church files that would have alerted Hurley to McCabe's misconduct in Ireland or his treatment.
On Thursday, Walsh said he had not yet received the new complaints and had only read part of one of the previous lawsuits. He said it was important that "all victims come forward."
"If they have been harmed, the church certainly wants to apologize, ask forgiveness and remedy what harm has been done," Walsh said.
McCabe, 74, remains in custody in Alameda County jail pending extradition to Ireland to answer charges he molested six boys there from 1973 to 1981. He surrendered to authorities in July.
His arrest sparked the first lawsuit from a 38-year-old Humboldt County man on Aug. 19. A 36-year-old Eureka man filed a similar suit a week later.
They were fueled in part by a lengthy report commissioned by the Irish government on priest misconduct that detailed McCabe's past. The so-called Murphy Report says former Dublin Archbishop Dermot Ryan asked Hurley in 1983 to "rid me of this troublesome priest" and that Hurley agreed.
The report goes on to say Hurley was informed of McCabe's treatment for a psychosexual disorder in Albuquerque, N.M. where he was prescribed a drug to curb his impulses.
McCabe was sent to Eureka but transferred to the Guerneville parish in 1985 after parents complained he put children on his knee during first confessions. McCabe was removed from the priesthood altogether in 1988.
The latest lawsuits allege parents could have avoided exposure to McCabe if they had been warned.
John Doe 78 alleges McCabe recruited him to clean the rectory and used force to physically restrain him as he sexually molested him.
John Doe 79 says McCabe molested him in a dressing room for altar boys.
Both are seeking unspecified damages. Neither would agree to be interviewed Friday, said George, their lawyer.
The younger man lives in Humboldt County and the older one is in Southern California, he said.
An attorney for the diocese, Dan Galvin, said Thursday the diocese has yet to be served with any of the lawsuits. Also, no former parishioners have complained to church officials about McCabe, he said.
"The diocese is prepared to respond pastorally with offers of counseling," Galvin said.
The diocese, which serves 167,000 Catholics from Sonoma County to the Oregon border, has paid about $25 million to settle victims' lawsuits. Advocates have accused bishops past and present of covering for pedophile priests and discouraging parishioners from complaining to police.
David Clohessy, national director for Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said he hopes the recent exposure will lead to change.
"This whole McCabe mess shows once again how crucial it is to have independent professional law enforcement and government exercise an oversight role for the safety of our kids," Clohessy said.
Each of the four lawsuits were filed in Sonoma County Superior Court, where the diocese is based.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: