LOS ANGELES (CA)
Los Angeles Times
By Jean Guccione, Times Staff Writer
A former Roman Catholic priest said San Diego church officials transferred him to other parishes after parishioners complained that he had molested altar boys and other youth in the 1970s, according to newly filed court documents.
Edward Anthony Rodrigue was convicted in 1979 of sexually assaulting two boys in Ontario. Rodrigue made the statements in a court declaration at Corcoran state prison, where he is serving 10 years on a second molestation conviction.
The declaration, which was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in San Diego, supports one of the main allegations in the clergy sexual abuse scandal: that bishops knew priests were molesting children, but covered up by shifting them elsewhere.
"There is overwhelming evidence that the church was well aware of the sexual misconduct of these priests," said Raymond P. Boucher, lead attorney for hundreds of people who are suing the church.
Attorney J. Michael Hennigan, who is representing the San Diego diocese in this case, said he did not know whether officials covered up for those priests. The issue, he said, is whether the church can properly investigate claims after so many years.