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	Church Faces New Lawsuit By Sherri Borden Colley Chronicle-Herald May 13, 2010 http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1182093.html Third woman suing archbishop, diocese over alleged abuse by Shelburne priest A third woman is suing the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Halifax and the Diocese of Yarmouth alleging she was sexually abused as a minor by the late Rev. Raoul Deveau while he was a priest at the St. Thomas Parish in Shelburne. Catherine Kiley MacKenzie of Shelburne filed her lawsuit at Nova Scotia Supreme Court on April 23. She alleges that former Bishop Austin Burke transferred Deveau from the parishes in Plympton and Weymouth to the St. Thomas Parish as a result of complaints about Deveau's sexual misconduct with a female child, Joanne Muron, who is also suing. "Burke and the diocese did not warn members of St. Thomas Parish of Deveau's sexual misconduct," MacKenzie's statement of claim alleges. "The diocese and the bishop knew, or ought to have known, that Deveau posed a real risk of sexually assaulting the plaintiff and other children in the Parish of St. Thomas." MacKenzie was able to gather the strength to proceed with the case once she realized she was not alone, her lawyer, John McKiggan of Halifax, said Wednesday. "In most cases, survivors are paralysed by their shame and it's only when they realize that they're not the only one that experienced these assaults that they're able to physically come forward and try to have someone held accountable," McKiggan said. MacKenzie, who is in her 40s, claims that as a result of Deveau's alleged sexual assaults and batteries when she was a minor, she has suffered from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, sexual dysfunction, substance addiction, nervous shock, decreased social abilities and low self-esteem. She is seeking various damages, court costs, prejudgment interest and other relief as the court sees fit. None of her allegations have been proven in court. Marilyn Sweet, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Halifax, which is not named in the suit, said she was not aware of the court action. "I have not seen this particular case but there have been other claims against this same person (Deveau)," Sweet said. "So, more information than that, I don't have today." Meanwhile, the Halifax diocese filed a two-page defence on Feb. 10 in response to a $2-million lawsuit Philip Latimer filed against it and the Antigonish diocese alleging Rev. Allan MacDonald sexually molested him for four years. At the time, MacDonald was a pastor in the Antigonish County community of Havre Boucher. The diocese says Latimer's allegations disclosed no cause for action against the diocese in fact or in law for the acts MacDonald is alleged to have committed. It also denied it was responsible for his actions because he was not employed in the Archdiocese of Halifax. The Antigonish diocese has not yet filed a separate defence. In March, in response to the worldwide sexual abuse scandal involving priests, Archbishop Anthony Mancini of the Archdiocese of Halifax announced a new code of conduct for priests and other church workers. All employees are now asked to sign a document promising they won't abuse, endanger or in many cases even be alone with people in their care. They are also subject to a criminal record check and a scan of the child abuse registry. Contact: sborden@herald.ca
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