NEW YORK
New York Post
January 13, 2006 -- A former Brooklyn altar boy, who accused his priest of molesting him, said he allowed the repeated sexual encounters because he was told the sex would bring him closer to God.
The victim, now 17, testified yesterday in the criminal sexual-abuse case against the Rev. Joseph Byrns.
He said that the priest fondled and sodomized him at St. Rose of Lima Church, in Kensington, when he was 11 years old.
"Did you ever believe having a 60-year-old guy touching the most private part would bring you closer to God?" defense attorney Patrick Bruno asked.
"Yes, because I believed him," the unnamed youth replied in Brooklyn Supreme court.