FRANCE
Christian Post
French Man Convicted of Sexually Assaulting Girl Claims Abuse by Catholic Priest Turned Him Into Pedophile; Sues Vatican for $54K
BY STOYAN ZAIMOV , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER
July 22, 2015
An elderly French man who has been convinced of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl has said that sex abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of a Roman Catholic priest turned him into a pedophile. The man added that he is suing the Vatican for $54,000.
Emmanuel Ludot, the lawyer for the 64-year-old French man who was not named, told France’s RTL channel that his client is demanding punishment for the 82-year-old priest who abused him.
The French man is claiming that the priest, who cannot be jailed due to the statute of limitations, began abusing him when he was 12 at a boarding school. The incidents of sexual assault allegedly continued for several years.
“My client is pursuing this priest to allow him a speedier recovery. He has been in therapy for many years and it’s imperative that his attacker is condemned by justice,” Ludot said, adding that his client “lives with these paedophilic impulses like a disease.”
The 64-year-old man is reportedly suing the Vatican for moving the priest to Switzerland in an effort to conceal his crimes, when allegations of abuse first started surfacing several decades ago.
“In the coming days, I will pursue the Holy See, who installed the priest, who gave him a shelter in the ’80s when he was shamed by his victims,” the French man said.
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