March 07, 2006

Haunted by shame

IOWA
Telegraph Herald

by MARY NEVANS-PEDERSON

"John Doe" thought he was the Rev. William Goltz's only sex-abuse victim.

He believed that for more than 50 years.

Then, during a visit to the Telegraph Herald newsroom last year, he learned otherwise.

Documents indicated that Goltz had molested other boys after "John Doe," at another parish. Goltz had shown his victims pornographic photographs he had taken of a boy.

"John Doe" was sure the pictures were of him.

"I was devastated. I didn't know there were more boys and that he showed them those pictures," said the Dubuque man, who later filed suit anonymously, under the name "John Doe."

One of 20 plaintiffs who claimed sexual abuse by Dubuque Archdiocese priests, the 65-year-old man last month was part of a $5 million settlement with the archdiocese.

Posted by kshaw at March 7, 2006 04:14 PM