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	Ex-Victim Has Hope for Church By Stephanie Innes Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) January 31, 2002 One of the 10 men who say they were abused by local clergy says he's hopeful that the Catholic Diocese of Tucson has overcome its past. Albert Coderre Jr., 37, a married father of four and former altar boy at Our Mother of Sorrows Church, 1800 S. Kolb Road, said he's looking forward to speaking with Bishop Manuel D. Moreno and Coadjutor Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas about his feelings on the abuse and the church. Coderre's lawsuit alleges he was molested by a visiting priest at Our Mother of Sorrows, the Rev. Pedro Luc de la Meunier, who is believed to be now dead. De la Meunier, who was never a diocesan priest but worked in the diocese, was one of four priests named in the 11 local lawsuits that were settled last week. The others were the Rev. William Byrne, who died of a brain tumor in 1991; Monsignor Robert C. Trupia, who lives in Maryland; and the Rev. Michael Teta. Neither Teta nor Trupia is on active duty as a priest, though they continue to receive monthly payments from the diocese. The out-of-court, undisclosed monetary settlement was announced by diocesan officials Tuesday. Diocese of Tucson spokesman Fred Allison said Wednesday that no one is certain exactly what will be affected within the diocese, but he stressed that the increased debt will not affect programs provided by Catholic Community Services, and right now no jobs are expected to be cut, though some empty positions may not be filled. The diocese is also not expecting to sell any property, nor is it altering plans to move into new offices at 111 S. Church Ave. next month, Allison said. Diocesan officials want to talk with all the plaintiffs, if the victims are willing. "I didn't want to talk with them at first," Coderre said Wednesday. "I was really depressed after the settlement. It is kind of hard to describe. I don't know if it's part of the healing process. "But reading about what the bishops wrote in the newspaper and seeing what they say about humanity in general made me feel better." Coderre, who remains a Catholic but no longer attends church, said he's particularly looking forward to meeting Kicanas, a former auxiliary bishop from Chicago who was recently appointed to help Moreno in Tucson. "I'm starting to feel better about myself and the church," he said. Coderre contacted Tucson attorney Lynne M. Cadigan in 1998 after reading about another lawsuit she'd filed on behalf of a former Mother of Sorrows altar boy. "When I read the story about that case, it sounded like my story. I talked to Lynne about being a witness and told her that this guy wasn't lying," Coderre said. "I felt so relieved. I thought I was the only one this had happened to." He attended Our Mother of Sorrows for one year in 1975 as an altar boy and student at the school. He was in sixth grade and 10 years old at the time. Father Pedro Luke, as the boys called him, was in charge of the altar boy program. Byrne was also at the church during that time, Coderre recalled. "Priests were the highest authority figure in my life at the time," said Coderre, now a local businessman working in sales. "They were as close as you could get to God." The abuse began when Father Pedro Luke invited Coderre to altar boy practice, Coderre recalled. He remembered finding out that he was the only boy at practice, and that's when the abuse began. It went on for several months. Coderre said he told his parents who, according to the lawsuit, told Byrne. Byrne allegedly told the family that Coderre was exaggerating. Coderre said the church never took any action, and the family left the church. He thought about the abuse constantly but thought it would remain a secret until the lawsuits arose a few years ago. He said the past 31/2 years have been extremely difficult. "It seemed like it was never going to end," he said. "It wasn't quick for me. It brought up a lot of memories and things I hadn't thought about in years. It made my life really, really difficult." Coderre said he continues to have trust issues. "If you come forward and tell and it seems nothing gets done, only to find out 20 years later that you weren't alone - that's disheartening."
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