New Claims In Case Of Sexually Abusive Priest
CHICAGO (CBS/WBBM) -- New allegations are being made in connection with one of the many sex abuse cases against the Rev. Donald McGuire, a Roman Catholic priest who is now serving a 25-year prison sentence.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Bob Conway reports, the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times report a Monday Cook County Circuit Court filing on behalf of three men allegedly abused by McGuire, includes excerpts of letters written between Jesuit leaders.
LISTEN: Newsradio 780's Bob Conway reports
Podcast
The alleged abuse victims are seeking punitive damages in a civil lawsuit.
Included is a part of a letter written in 1969 written between a priest – the Rev. Charles Schlax – and the former president of Loyola Academy high school in Wilmette– the Rev. John Reinke. In the letter, Schlax expresses concern after he learns a student and McGuire had been staying overnight at the school.
The court filings claim that while Loyola subsequently ended McGuire's teaching duties, it tried to cover up the reasons.
McGuire, 80, was sentenced by a federal judge to 25 years in prison, and he is almost certain to die while incarcerated. He had been convicted the year before by a Chicago federal jury of talking a boy on religious retreats to have sex with him.
The allegations during the 2008 trial were sensational. Two abuse victims testified that they were molested by McGuire as teens testified that he convinced them that they were "addicted" to masturbation and needed to be "educated" on how to stop it.
The "education" included looking at sexually explicit magazines such as Playboy and Playgirl and watching X-rated films.
One alleged victim, who was 22 at the time of the trial, said McGuire had him masturbate just short of climax. Both alleged victims said McGuire asked them during confession about their sexual activities.
Both alleged victims also said McGuire had them give him massages that included rubbing his genitals. Dominick alleged that McGuire put oil on the boy's penis, examined it with a magnifying glass, and performed oral sex on him.
Dominick said he didn't tell anyone of the alleged abuse -- which he said took place from 1999 to 2003 -- because McGuire threatened to reveal his masturbation habits.
The other victim, a fisherman who later moved to in Catalina, Calif., and was 32 at the time of the trial, said McGuire told him if he ever told anyone of the abuse, "they're not going to believe ... because he was religious. I was trapped, basically.''
McGuire was once a renowned Jesuit. The Vatican ordered him out of the priesthood earlier this year.
McGuire was also convicted in 2006 by a jury of Wisconsin of molesting two boys from Loyola Academy. He was also indicted in Arizona for child molestation and faces lawsuits on a string of other child molestation accusations.
(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS Radio and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
