NORTH CAROLINA
WRAL
By MICHAEL BIESECKER, Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. — A lawsuit against the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh over an allegation of child sexual abuse against a priest can move toward a trial, a three-judge panel ruled Tuesday.
The North Carolina Court of Appeals rejected arguments made by lawyers representing Bishop Michael F. Burbidge and the Raleigh diocese that allowing the lawsuit to advance would violate the constitutional separation of church and state.
The case involves allegations that the Rev. Edgar Sepulveda of Santa Teresa Mission in Beulaville engaged in sex acts with a 16-year-old boy who spent a night in his home. The priest, who traveled between several small parishes in the southeastern part of the state, also stayed overnight with the boy’s family, according to court documents.
Sepulveda, 52, denied the accusations. Records show he was arrested in 2010 and charged with second-degree sexual offense and sexual battery, but Brunswick County prosecutors dropped the case two years later citing a lack of evidence.
Efforts to reach Sepulveda by phone and email on Tuesday received no response.
Billy Atwell, a spokesman for the Raleigh diocese, would not comment on Sepulveda’s whereabouts, other than to say he is still in the state but not living on church grounds. The priest is also prohibited from visiting any parish or school.
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