BOSTON (MA)
WBSM
May 8, 2019
By Taylor Cormier
A Catholic priest with religious roots in New Bedford is one of eight priests named in new sexual assault allegations.
During a press conference in Boston Tuesday hosted by renowned attorney Mitchell Garabedian, Nadine Tifft, 37, of Indiana, accused Fr. John Sweeney of sexually assaulting her nearly 20 years ago.
Tifft, a teenager living in Vermont at the time, says in 2000 she attended a leadership retreat through her church. The retreat featured visiting church leaders from around New England. Tifft says one of the visiting priests, Fr. Sweeney, encouraged the young people to attend confession. After confession, Fr. Sweeney is alleged to have told several of the teenagers that they were possessed and he would perform exorcisms on them.
Tifft says that the sexual abuse of herself and others occurred during the “exorcisms” performed by Fr. Sweeney.
“We were teenagers who trusted that priest,” she said.
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