A Louisville woman says the Catholic Church covered up a priest's behavior -- and fired her when she tried to complain.
On Thursday, a Louisville couple filed suit against local priests and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Louisville.
According to the suit, Gary Weiter Sr. was
just a 15-year-old in 1964 when he was "repeatedly assaulted and
sexually abused" by Edwin Scherzer, a former priest at St. Therese
Catholic Church in the 1000 block of Schiller Ave.
The suit claims that, during the sexual
encounters, Scherzer would physically abuse Weiter and other children
aged nine or above at the parish, causing them to fear for their lives.
"It was Scherzer's practice during and as
part of his sexual abuse of Plaintiff Gary Weiter and other children at
St. Therese...to strangle them...until Plaintiff and other children
approached unconsciousness while Scherzer reached sexual climax," the
suit claims.
In 1967, Gary Weiter Sr. and Margie Weiter, a
co-plaintiff in the suit, were married. They also became members of the
St. Therese Catholic Church. In 1999, St. Therese and St. Elizabeth
Catholic Church were combined.
In June 2009, Father Anthony Olges became
parish priest of a cluster of churches that included St. Therese
Catholic Church.
Margie Weiter became the bookkeeper and
secretary at St. Therese in March 2002.
One month later, Gary Weiter,
Sr. -- along with several others -- filed a class action lawsuit against
the Archdiocese over alleged abuse committed by representatives of the
Catholic Church, including Edwin Scherzer.
That case was settled in June 2003.
As part
of the settlement, the Catholic Church made financial payments to the
plaintiffs and the Archbishop apologized for the abuse. Also in 2003,
the church implemented a "Safe Environment Program" to educate church
employees about the dangers of sexual abuse.
Since then, additional allegations of sex
abuse have emerged.
On July 30, 2009, James R. Schook, the pastor of St.
Ignatius Martyr, was placed on a leave of absence after he was accused
of abusing a teenager.
It's shortly after that, the suit alleges, that Father Anthony Olges tried to cover up what Schook had done.
"Olges caused Defendant Schook to be secretly
relocated to the St. Therese Rectory, although as Defendant Olges then
well knew, Defendant Schook was under investigation for sexual child
abuse and was not to be around children or among other unaware
parishioners," the suit states.
Schook's assignment to St. Therese created an
uncomfortable situation for Gary Weiter, Sr., according to the suit.
Margie Weiter, his wife, approached Olges and told him she didn't
believe Schook should have been assigned there.
"In response to Plaintiff Margie Weiter's
complaint regarding the presence at St. Therese of Defendant Schook, a
known child abuser, Defendant Olges not only ignored her complaints, but
instructed her that she was not to reveal to any person that Defendant
Schook was housed at St. Therese," the suit states.
When Margie Weiter took her complaint to the
business manager and pastoral associate at St. Therese, they told her
that they supported Schook's presence at the church and that he,
"deserved to be taken care of."
The suit also criticizes the church for
refusing to honor its policy that Schook should be removed from active
ministry and segregated from unsupervised contact with children.
"Defendant Schook was openly present at St.
Therese and walked around unsupervised at the Parish and Rectory at St.
Therese in shorts and/or swimming trunks, sandals and t-shirts in front
of Plaintiffs Gary and Margie Weiter and others, including children, who
were frequently at the St. Therese Rectory."
In fact, according to the suit, Schook spends
the majority of his day unsupervised in the area of the rectory
frequented by parishioners including children.
The suit goes on to say that Gary Weiter, Sr.
suffers from depression and post traumatic stress as the result of the
abuse he allegedly received from Scherzer -- and that Schook was
"secreted" in the same room at the rectory where the alleged abuse took
place. Because of Schook's presence, Gary Weiter, Sr. was unable to
continue coming to the church.
When his wife, Margie Weiter, approached
Schook to suggest that it wasn't appropriate for him to be St. Therese,
he allegedly told her that the Archdiocese, "owed him a place to live
regardless of his crimes."
On March 24, 2010, Schook was relieved of his
priestly duties, but allowed to remain a priest (though he could not
present himself publicly as a priest, wear priestly clothing or have
contact with children.)
Archbishop Kurtz ordered Schook to devote his
life to "prayer and penance" and he was moved to an apartment complex
that specifically houses priests accused of abuse.
"Defendant School would not only be in the
presence of Plaintiff Weiter's wife, Margie Weiter, but also around and
in the presence of children and other parishioners, including Plaintiff
Gary Weiter, Sr.," the suit claims.
Months later, Margie Weiter was told that her role as bookkeeper and receptionist was being eliminated.
After repeated failed attempts to contact
Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, Margie Weiter showed up on the doorstep of his
home to complain.
The suit claims that Kurtz's representatives told her
that no policies had been violated, that they should find another church
to go to and that her husband should "get over" his emotional distress.
The suit accuses the church of the wrongful
termination of Margie Weiter and committing "outrageous" behavior.
It
demands financial rewards in the form of compensatory and punitive
damages.
SIC: FX41/USA