He Sued Over a Priest’s Abuse. Then the Diocese Filed for Bankruptcy.

NEW YORK (NY)
The New York Times

September 26, 2019

By Corina Knoll

The Rochester diocese’s move has left many who were promised justice under New York’s Child Victims Act feeling betrayed.

Peter Saracino was in elementary school when, he said, a priest lured him away from a swimming pool and sexually abused him inside a seminary.

He kept the secret for decades, even as his life fell apart.

“We were raised to view the priest as another Christ,” Mr. Saracino said, “so when you get raped by a priest, it’s like being raped by God himself.”

Last month, at 67 years old, Mr. Saracino filed a lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester under a new law in New York that allows victims to seek justice over sexual abuse from long ago.

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