The Wolf in Priest’s Clothing: Victim of Former Niagara Catholic Priests Sues Diocese for $5.2 Million
By Grant LaFleche
A note to readers: Be advised this story contains language that might upset some readers. Niagara Catholic diocese knew a serial sex abuser was among its ranks of priests but did nothing about it, alleges one of the man's victims in a lawsuit against the church. In a statement of claim filed in a St. Catharines court in May, William O'Sullivan says the Diocese of St. Catharines — which governs Catholic churches and priests in Niagara — was told now ex-priest Donald Grecco had sexually abused a child, but did nothing to protect them. "(The diocese) failed to remove Grecco from his duties upon learning of the allegations of sexual and other inappropriate conduct thereby leaving the plaintiff exposed to Grecco and his actions without protection," says O'Sullivan's statement of claim, which also alleges the diocese failed to investigate Grecco's actions once it was made "fully away of his shortcomings in an effort locate and assist any victims." O'Sullivan is suing the diocese, along with the Brothers of the Christian Schools of Ontario, who ran a training school for boys, and Ontario's Attorney General's office, which authorized the brotherhood's schools, for $5.3 million for pain and distress as a result of the sexual abuse he suffered as a young boy and a teenager in the late 70s and early 80s. In its a statement of defence, the diocese denies any wrongdoing, including denying that its officials knew of Grecco's conduct and that there was a cover-up to hide his crimes. The diocese is also denying the circumstances of O'Sullivan's abuse, including denying that Grecco's position as a priest allowed him to exert control over O'Sullivan when he was a young boy. O'Sullivan's statement of claim says when he was around 9 years old in 1979, Grecco — then the priest of St. Kevin's church in Welland — directed the boy to perform oral sex on him, among other sexual abuses. The document says Grecco performed oral sex on O'Sullivan, "digitally penetrated the anus of the plaintiff," and made the boy masturbate him. "The Diocese denies that events occurred as described," says the church's defence to the specifics of the abuse. None of the claims have been proven in a civil court. Grecco was convicted twice, in 2010 and 2017, for sexually abusing a total of six boys, including O'Sullivan. From the ages of 9 to 12, while Grecco was the priest at St. Kevin's, he abused O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan says after the abuse he started acting out, eventually landing him in trouble with the law. At 16, he was sentenced for petty crimes to 18 months at the infamous St. John's Training School for Boys in Uxbridge — the location of one of the worst sexual abuse scandals in Canadian history. He was repeatedly sexually abused by one of the Christian Brothers running the school. The brothers were authorized to run the school by the provincial government. In May 2017, Grecco pleaded guilty to three counts of gross indecency for the sexual abuse of O'Sullivan and two other boys. Grecco, who left the priesthood in 2001, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. He was released on April 27, 2018, and now lives in Brampton. He was previously convicted in 2010 for the sexual abuse of three different boys. In its statement of defence, the church claims that if Grecco abused O'Sullivan, the diocese did not fail in any duty "it may have owed the plaintiff." The diocese says it is aware of Grecco's criminal convictions "but has no direct knowledge with respect to the charges or convictions." O'Sullivan's lawyer, Robert Talach, says the diocese was informed of Grecco's conduct a few years after he had abused O'Sullivan. But in 1986, the mother of another victim — one of the victims for the crimes Grecco was convicted of in 2010 — wrote to the diocese to complain about the priest, but no action was taken. That same victim, whose identity is protected by court order, wrote to the diocese about Grecco in 2001. In response, the church warned the victim to "govern yourself accordingly" and threatened legal action. Talach says the diocese also received four other complaints about Grecco. For most of the last year, O'Sullivan has staged protests outside St. Kevin's church to raise awareness about victims of clergy abuse and has begun to attract a following. Over the weekend Bishop Gerard Bergie sent a letter to parishioners about the protests, thanking them for their "Christian witness during these trying times," and saying he did not know when the protests may end.
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