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  Priest Accused of Molesting 2 Boys; Parents' Lawsuit Seeks $ 3 Million in Damages

By Sandra McIntosh
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
February 20, 1991

A priest from the Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Stone Mountain�has been accused of sexually assaulting two children in a lawsuit filed�Tuesday seeking $ 3 million in damages from the priest and the church.

The Rev. Stanley Idziak is the second priest from the church to be�accused of abusing young parishioners.

He preceded Anton Mowat, who fled to Britain and eluded authorities�for 21 months after being accused of fondling four altar boys. Mowat�pleaded guilty in DeKalb County Superior Court on May 24, 1990, to�molesting the children, ages 12 to 14, while serving as a visiting priest�at the church.

Mowat, 47, was sentenced to six years in prison and an additional�nine years on probation.

The Rev. Idziak is accused of sexually abusing and molesting two�brothers, according to the suit filed in Fulton County Superior Court by�the boys' parents, [names redacted]. The suit also names Bishop�James P. Lyke, the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Roman Catholic Church�as defendants.

One child in the suit filed Tuesday, [name redacted], is�listed only as "a minor", while the older son, [name redacted], is said�to now be 19.

The suit contends that the Rev. Idziak, who was at Corpus Christi�from 1981 to 1985, "used various methods of persuasion and manipulation"�to keep the boys from telling their parents about the assaults.

In August 1985, the Rev. Idziak was transferred from Corpus Christi�to St. Michael's Church in Gainesville, Ga. The abuse allegedly took�place between 1985 and 1988. The Rev. Peter Dora, spokesman for the�archdiocese, said the [name redacted] family met the Rev. Idziak at Corpus Christi�and continued a friendship with him after he was transferred to�Gainesville.

Mowat came to Corpus Christi in September 1985, a month after the�Rev. Idziak left.

DeKalb District Attorney Robert E. Wilson said allegations against�the Rev. Idziak were made by the [name redacted] family in 1988, but the priest was�not indicted at the request of the parents.

"Our office was prepared to take whatever action was appropriate,�but the family declined to prosecute at the time and we honored their�wishes," Mr. Wilson said.

The Rev. Dora said that when the allegations against the Rev. Idziak�surfaced the priest was immediately removed from his post at St.�Michael's. The Rev. Dora said the priest's transfer from Stone Mountain�to Gainesville was routine.

The Rev. Idziak is currently in a "church treatment facility" out of�state, the Rev. Dora said.

 
 

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