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	Springfield Bishops Facing Suit By Jack Flynn The Republican May 20, 2010 http://www.masslive.com/chicopeeholyoke/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-27/127436114891420.xml&coll=1 GREENFIELD - A Michigan engineer filed a lawsuit Wednesday against two Springfield bishops, claiming he was sexually assaulted by now-defrocked priest Richard R. Lavigne while living in North Adams in the 1970s. In a complaint filed in Franklin Superior Court, Peter J. Caffrey, 47, of Chelsea, Mich., accuses Bishops Joseph F. Maguire and Thomas L. Dupre of negligence, saying they allowed him to be molested by Lavigne in 1976 and 1977. "These allegations of inadequate supervision will be defended vigorously," said Mark E. Dupont, spokesman for the diocese. "This terrible misconduct was clandestine." Appearing at a courthouse press conference, Caffrey said he was 13 when Lavigne first molested him in a confessional at St. Francis of Assisi Church in North Adams. The sexual abuse continued at several locations, including the priest's home in Ashfield, where Caffrey said he was raped. "You don't realize the power (Lavigne) had over kids like us," said Caffrey, who said he repressed memories of sexual abuse until last summer, when they surfaced during an argument with his wife at their home in Michigan. Realizing he had developed a dual personality to cope with the sexual trauma, Caffrey said he entered therapy, but still struggled with suicidal impulses. "I felt horribly broken, and I didn't know if I could be fixed," said Caffrey, a mechanical engineer with the Environmental Protection Agency and the father of two children. Neither Lavigne, now a registered sex offender, nor the Springfield Diocese were named as defendants in the lawsuit filed by Greenfield lawyer John J. Stobierski, who has represented more than 20 victims of alleged clergy abuse. The lawsuit alleges that Maguire and Dupre, as Lavigne's former supervisors during the 1970s, were responsible for allowing him to serve in the North Adams parish. After Caffrey contacted the diocese in September, his complaint was investigated and found credible, according to Stobierski, who said negotiations broke down on a settlement that would have averted the lawsuit. Dupont said church officials have not received a copy of the suit. He said Caffrey was offered full assistance from the Victim Counseling Office after coming forward in 2009, but broke off contact several months later. All diocese records on the matter have been reviewed by law enforcement officials and the diocese's insurance carriers, and Maguire's conduct in supervising and assigning personnel has never been criticized, Dupont said. "All allegations of misconduct made to the diocese, no matter when they took place, are immediately referred to law enforcement as was this when it was received," he added. The diocese has paid out $1.4 million to settle 17 lawsuits against Lavigne, 69, who pleaded guilty to two child sexual abuse charges in 1992, and was defrocked by the Vatican in 2003. Join the conversation Here's what masslive.com users had to say about Peter Caffrey filing a lawsuit against two Springfield bishops: "... the Church needs to openly acknowledge the molestations world-wide, accept responsibility for its role in covering them up, and ask for assistance from all Catholics in re-organizing and re-focusing our faith. AND to promise that any future perps will be fully prosecuted by the law, and not just re-assigned to a new parish! THAT is what these lawsuits are really all about." vupt "... No matter what sex you are, rape/sexual assault is a crime, and a violent one at that, not only physically, but mentally! Many live with this trauma their entire life, others have some kind of life-trigger that makes them finally report the crime, or pursue the assailant in other ways. This does not only happen 'in the church,' it happens everywhere!" masscitizen1 Want to learn more? Visit www.masslive.com/howto to set up an account and post your thoughts Contact: jflynn@repub.com
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