FALL RIVER (MA)
WPRI
[with video]
Shaun Towne; Reporting by Madeline WrightUpdated: Tuesday, May 13, 2014
FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — Two former altar boys have filed a lawsuit claiming they were sexually abused by a now-deceased priest.
The lawsuit alleges Maurice Souza, a former monsignor at St. Anthony’s Parish in East Falmouth, abused the boys in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Road to Recovery, an advocacy group, is calling attention to the suit, which claims the abuse began in the 1970s, when the boys were 9 and 10 years old, and that it lasted until they were 17.
The alleged victims filed the lawsuit against the Diocese of Fall River and former Bishop Daniel Cronin, who they claim failed to protect them.
“We have two very damaged men. We want them made whole,” said Robert Hoatson, a spokesperson for the alleged victims. “If the diocese steps up and does the empathetic and sympathetic thing, we can avoid a trial.”
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