MAINE
Portland Press Herald
By JOHN RICHARDSON, Portland Press Herald Writer
Records released by the Maine Attorney General's Office provide some insight into the oversight of the Rev. Lawrence Sabatino, but also leave some questions unanswered.
The first known report of sexual abuse by Lawrence Sabatino was made to the Portland Diocese in September 1958. The parents of a 6-year-old girl reported that Sabatino had brought her home crying, that she said "that bone" hurt her belly, and that a doctor found vaginal bruising and evidence of abuse.
They first reported the abuse to a police officer in Lewiston, according to the family, but were told they would have to talk to Bishop Daniel Feeney instead. That would not happen today, said Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin.
"Society's whole approach to these types of crimes was totally different 50 years ago, and then you add to it the church's and the priests' standing in the community, and it complicates it even more," she said.