WASHINGTON
Yakima Herald-Republic
By Jane Gargas
Yakima Herald-Republic
A man who alleges he was abused as an altar boy by a priest in Roslyn has filed a lawsuit against the Catholic dioceses of Yakima and Spokane.
The lawsuit filed in Spokane County Superior Court on Tuesday contends that beginning in 1961, the Rev. Joseph Sondergeld sexually abused the victim at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Roslyn.
The man, who is in his early 60s and identified as R.P. in the filing, says he was 9 years old when the abuse began. He says Sondergeld, now deceased, used his position within the church to groom him for abuse and molest him on church property.
Monsignor Robert Siler, chief of staff of the Yakima Diocese, said the man didn’t contact the diocese about the alleged abuse. “It’s news to me. Our attorneys are looking into it,” he said.
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