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New lawsuit claims abuse by ex-priest

By Ashleigh Oldland, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 26, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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A lawsuit filed Friday against Denver's Catholic Archdiocese alleges the Rev. Harold Robert White, who is now deceased, molested a young man in a Wheat Ridge parish in the 1980s.

The man who filed the suit, now in his 40s and living in California, says that church officials could have prevented the molestation.

White, who died in November 2006, worked in 11 parishes over 33 years. This is the third suit filed against the archdiocese this month naming White, according to a statement issued by the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

Earlier this month, the Denver Archdiocese settled 18 clergy sex abuse lawsuits. That came after 10 lawsuits naming White were settled in January 2007.

White also worked in parishes in Denver, Colorado Springs, Sterling, Loveland, Minturn, Aspen, Grand Lake, Steamboat Springs and Eagle.

This is the most recent allegation of abuse against White, and the first lawsuit from his years in Wheat Ridge.

The archdiocese said Friday it regrets that anyone has experienced childhood sexual abuse by clergy and encouraged victims to come forward.

"Each person who takes legal action helps strip away the decades of secrecy and corruption and complicity that enabled these crimes to take place," Kirsten Boyd, spokeswoman for the survivors group, said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Comments

  • July 26, 2008

    6:29 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    alwaysright writes:

    Oh the priest is dead. And can't testify aginst me. Now it's all comming back. Yup 30 years ago he buggered me also. Where is this band wagon ? I want to jump on it. Aught to be worth at least a Mil.$

  • July 26, 2008

    12:28 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    SL10 writes:

    Dam, you mean the church is still around. I thought after paying off sooo many claims thus far would have disbanded the church. Hmmm.

  • July 27, 2008

    5 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    happymike44 writes:

    Well let's see the catholic church feeds the homeless.
    Helps out with food for the poor and clothes for the needy.
    They do all this with no govenment money or public applause.
    The real story is how the church has been helping the needy for as long as I can remember.Now everyone wants to burn them at the stake for a few bad apples.
    These priest all could not have been committing this crime, so why blame everyone for the possible actions of a few.
    By the way I went to a catholic school and no preist or teacher ever touched me or anyone I know in that manner.
    So I am inclined this might just be for the money and not a real act.
    Money is the root of all evil.

  • July 30, 2008

    7:23 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    raped writes:

    as a survivor of priest rape in the catholic church from the ages of diapers to 3rd grade while attending pahrochial school I AM APPALLED AS TO YOUR IGNORACE TO THE VAST AMOUNT OF US CHILDREN THERE ARE WHOM HAVE REALLY BEEN RAPPED BELIVE IT OR NOT there heiracy continues and as you give your money to support the corporation of dosile sheep you yourselfs are forgetting what love and faith meant Faith is to belive in something you can not see well we all see how horriffic the crimes aginst us children have impacted out once beloved devotion . torn families torn societis and wicked beauracray calling themselfs to be knelt befor is blasphamay as us adult children continue to strive to help you clean your messes up how dare you ever say we did this for money ITS YOUR CHURCH THATS MONEY HUNGREY SO MUCH SO THEY BLATENANTLY TAKE YOUR MONEY AND AND BUILD REDICULIOUS TEMPLES FOR MILLIONS AND GIVE A BIT OF FOOD OUT AND PRETEND ITS ALL OK ?

    WAKE UP