Archbishop Paul Russell, a Detroit auxiliary bishop, is the subject of a sexual abuse lawsuit filed in Massachusetts. The lawsuit stems from sexual abuse that occurred when the survivors was a 12-year-old parishioner at Saint Mary of the Sacred Heart Parish in Lynn in 1989 and 1990. The lawsuit alleges that he was sexually assaulted by by Paul Fitzpatrick Russell, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in Boston.
It’s not common that an archbishop is also an auxiliary bishop. In this case, it stems from the fact that Russell entered the Vatican diplomatic corps six years after his ordination to the priesthood. Prior to becoming a papal diplomat, Russell served as an associate pastor in parishes within the Archdiocese of Boston including Saint Mary of the Sacred Heart in Lynn. In 1992, he was briefly named associate pastor of St. Eulalia Parish in Winchester, Mass.; however, three days into his…
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