IOWA
WQAD
WATERLOO, Iowa Attorneys say a defrocked Catholic priest has settled three lawsuits alleging he sexually abused boys in the 1960s and 1970s.
William Schwartz, who now lives in Arizona, was accused of molesting three boys while Schwartz was an associate pastor at Saint Joseph's Catholic Church in Waterloo and later when he was spiritual director at Columbus High School.
The three accusers filed the lawsuits in February 2005 and settled claims a year later against the co-defendant, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque. The archdiocese paid five (m) million to settle 20 cases of sexual abuse alleged against nine priests over the past five decades.
The only surviving priest is Schwartz, who was defrocked last year by the Vatican.
Posted by kshaw at April 20, 2006 07:28 AM