Fr. David J. Peter
Retired in 2002. Died 4/17/17. In 2018 a man reported to the diocese that Peter sexually abused him in the 1970s, when he was an 8-year-old altar boy at St. Edmund’s in Tonawanda. He said the abuse first occurred on a boat ride for altar boys on the Niagara River, with another man present. The man said Peter also abused him after mass when the priest insisted they take a shower together, and that the pastor knew and did nothing. He also alleged that Peter threatened to harm his brother if he told. Peter’s accuser said Bishop Grosz told him his complaint wasn’t valid, that he was the only person to complain, and “Let’s be real: he’s dead, he can’t defend himself.” Lawsuit filed 8/19.
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