PUEBLO (CO)
Pueblo Chieftain
By PATRICK MALONE
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
A former Puebloan who accused a Catholic priest of molesting him decades ago testified this week before a Colorado House committee, urging lawmakers to lift the statute of limitations for pursuing action against pedophiles.
The 45-year-old man, who has not made his identity public, told The Pueblo Chieftain in October that he had been sexually molested by Andrew Burke in 1972. Burke was a priest assigned to St. Pius X Catholic Church at that time.
Burke later left the priesthood. His exit letter to the Catholic Diocese of Pueblo mentioned that he suffered from "a psycho-sexual behavior disorder," but didn't detail the disorder. Burke committed suicide in September when news accounts of the allegations against him were about to be made public.
The former Puebloan who testified before the Legislature on Thursday is one of three men to come forward with allegations of abuse by Burke. One of them, an inmate in the Colorado Department of Corrections, has filed a lawsuit against the diocese over alleged abuse by Burke.