PENSACOLA (FL)
Pensacola News Journal [Pensacola FL]
March 24, 2025
By Mollye Barrows
A young man who came forward in 2023 saying that he had been abused by a Pensacola priest while attending a private school says the case has now been settled.
The details of the settlement with the Catholic Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee are confidential and can’t be released because the alleged victim says he signed a non-disclosure agreement, but he says he is comfortable with the outcome of the settlement and is glad he reported the alleged abuse.
“With it being an old case, they did what they could do. They made it right,” the man said.
Now in his 20s, the man and his mother shared his story of alleged sexual abuse with the News Journal, claiming that in the early 2010s Pensacola priest Monsignor James Flaherty began molesting him at St. John the Evangelist, a private Catholic school.
Abuse allegations: Mother, son allege prominent Pensacola priest abused him as a child at private school.
The young man’s mom said she transferred her son to the school because he had endured relentless bullying at his previous school, but instead of finding refuge, her son was targeted by a different abuser.
The News Journal is not releasing identifying information about the young man or his mother due to the nature of the allegations, but the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office confirmed they filed a report detailing sexual abuse accusations against Flaherty, who retired in 2019.
The young man and his mother said law enforcement informed them the statute of limitations had passed for bringing criminal charges against Flaherty, but they wanted to speak out and file the report regardless. In part, because of the toll the alleged abuse took on their lives and the victim’s mental health because he grew up keeping the abuse a secret.
The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee released a statement at the time of the report saying that they had received correspondence from an attorney alleging inappropriate contact against a minor by Monsignor James Flaherty and that the Diocese reported the allegation to authorities and was committed to protecting children, youth and vulnerable adults.Breaking the silence: Man claiming abuse by Pensacola priest urges others to speak. One victim is rare, experts say.
The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee issued the following statement to the News Journal regarding the settlement.
“We continue to pray for all of God’s children. The Diocese always takes allegations of abuse seriously and will always cooperate with the investigation of such matters with the hope of bringing healing and peace.”
The man said coming forward with his account of what happened helped him feel heard and find some measure of justice with public awareness. He hopes his story will encourage other victims of abuse to come forward.
“I just want to get the message out there that no matter how old you are it doesn’t matter,” he said. “People will listen and want to take action if an injustice has been committed. The more knowledge that not just the diocese, but everybody has about these situations, they can keep an eye out for the signs.”
The young man is now planning to enlist in the military and attend college.