Friday, May 5, 1995, San Francisco Examiner

A new lawsuit charging child molestations by Monsignor Patrick O'Shea, former pastor of St. Cecilia Church, asks that a Superior Court judge order the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco to create formal safeguards against possible pedophile priests.

"We're asking for the church to come up with some policy and guidelines to ensure that this doesn't happen again," said attorney Ruth Berkowitz, who filed the lawsuit for Wayne Presley, Matthew Hadden and Steven Lucarelli, who claim O'Shea sexually molested them when they were boys.

"I'd like psychological tests for the priests and a follow-up and monitoring of priests to make sure this doesn't happen," Berkowitz said. "It's unfortunate, (but) this is rampant."

The suit claims the Archdiocese and Archbishop John Quinn knew that O'Shea was molesting altar boys and other youths associated with the church, but did nothing to stop him.

Attorneys for O'Shea and the church said they have not been served with the lawsuit and would have no comment.

Berkowitz said the alleged molestations took place at least 20 years ago. Police investigators say O'Shea's alleged sexual abuse began in 1964 and continued into the 1980s.

The lawsuit says that the three plaintiffs are among nine men the San Francisco district attorney's office accused O'Shea of molesting in its 16-count criminal sexual molestation case filed last January.

O'Shea, 62, was arraigned on the allegations, then released on $15,000 bail. He remains in San Francisco awaiting trial on the charges.

Nine men sued O'Shea, Quinn and the church last May alleging they also were victims of the priest, who allegedly would get them drunk and then sexually abuse them in a trailer at Lake Berryessa in Napa County.

The latest suit by three more alleged victims was filed March 30, but sealed for 30 days and made public Thursday.

It accuses the church of "fraud, deceit, conspiracy" involving one of its high-ranking priests.

It asks that the church be required to pay closer attention to its priests, their private lives and to take action when it learns of deviant behavior.

"This case concerns a Roman Catholic priest who abused his power, trust and control over young boys and a Catholic Church which covered up the abuse," the complaint alleges. "This priest lured young boys, especially altar boys, to his weekend retreat."

In addition to the Lake Berryessa episodes, Lucarelli alleges that he was molested during a trip that he and O'Shea took together in a van from San Francisco to Mexico. He did not specify the year.

Go Back