Trial Focuses on Priests Abuse of More Than 30 Boys, Bryan Johnson, KOMO, May 13, 2009

Trial Focuses on Priest's Abuse of "More Than 30" Boys

By Bryan Johnson
KOMO
May 13, 2009

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/44840417.html

[with video]

SEATTLE -- In a historic trial, a jury will decide if the Seattle Catholic Archdiocese is to blame for priest sex abuse.

Two victims claim a priest abused them more than thirty years ago.

This is not a whodunit. The victims and the priest are both known. The question is whether the Seattle Archdiocese failed to protect the young boys of St. Paul parish back in 1976.

The two men say a priest made their lives hell. They say 33 years after that abuse, they are still fighting post traumatic stress and as a result, they are suing the Seattle Catholic Archdiocese.

The man who confessed to abusing the men is Father Pat O'Donnell. The priest says he abused many young boys.

"I'm pretty sure it was more than 30," he said.

The church says nothing excuses O'Donnell.

"Abuse is categorically, absolutely wrong. We are not denying that," said Michael Patterson, attorney for Seattle Archdiocese.

Because it may be hard for a jury to imagine grown men as victims, attorneys showed pictures of Brian Adam and Rich Moffat when they were 12 or so.

The men are from Seattle. O'Donnell is from Spokane. He was booted out in 1976 when he was abusing the son of a Spokane cop.

"In a fly-by-night manner, O'Donnell hastily moved to Seattle. The Seattle Archdiocese permitted him to work in a Seattle parish without any background check," said Timothy Kosnoff, the victims' attorney.

That's the heart of the case -- what did the Seattle Archdiocese know? Did Seattle ever check out O'Donnell?

"No," according to O'Donnell. "No. Well, not that I know of."

The Seattle archdiocese says Spokane should have blown the whistle on O'Donnell.

"Archbishop Hunthausen has adamantly denied that Bishop Topel ever told him about McDonnell's past and his misconduct," said Patterson.

Former Seattle Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen is the only man who can say what happened in 1976. He is expected to testify about what he knew and why there was no background check of O'Donnell in Seattle.