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	New Lawsuit Alleges Child Sexual Abuse by Priests in Montpelier WCAX [Vermont] March 20, 2007 http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=6253750&nav=4QcS Burlington, Vt. -- A man who claims he was sexually assaulted by two priests while serving as an altar boy in Montpelier in the 1970s has filed a lawsuit. The suit, on file in Chittenden County, accuses former priests Edward Paquette and Alfred Willis of molesting the boy when each served as assistant pastor at Saint Augustine's Catholic Church in Montpelier and says the Diocese of Burlington concealed information relevant to the claims to protect itself from liability. Diocesan officials have denied the allegations. Both Paquette and Willis were named in earlier sex-abuse suits that led to out-of-court settlements. Paquette was assigned to the Montpelier church between 1974 and 1976. Willis was assistant pastor at St. Augustine's after Paquette and until mid-1979, court documents said. Diocese attorney David Cleary would not comment on the latest lawsuit but said the diocese acted properly by suspending Paquette and Willis from their parish assignments. "As soon as the diocese became aware, or as soon as it appeared that medical, psychiatric and spiritual assistance would not be of help in combating the disease, they were suspended," Cleary said. Paquette was suspended from his priestly duties in 1978 after parents at Christ the King Church in Burlington claimed he was molesting their sons. Willis was removed from his duties in 1980 after parents at St. Ann's Catholic Church in Milton accused him of similar misconduct with altar boys. Paquette is named in 17 other pending cases in Burlington and Montpelier. Willis is facing two other pending cases. The latest lawsuit was filed in late 2006 but only recently became public. John Gravel, Willis' lawyer, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Tuesday. Efforts to reach Paquette, who lives in Westfield, Mass., were unsuccessful. His telephone number is unlisted.
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