ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A lawsuit was filed Tuesday by a man who said he was molested by a priest who was transferred to the Diocese of St. Petersburg after allegedly molesting a boy in Long Island, New York.
According to the lawsuit filed by Mark Cattell, he was sexually abused by Father Robert D. Huneke in 1981 on several occasions. At the time, Cattell was a 9-year-old parishioner at Christ the King Church and a student at Christ the King School.
Huneke had been reassigned to St. Petersburg after being transferred from the Diocese of Rockville Centre in Oyster Bay, Long Island, where he served from 1969 to 1974. During that time, according to the lawsuit, Huneke molested a 13-year-old boy.
The victim, John Salveson, wrote a letter to the then-Bishop of Rockville Centre, John McGann, in 1980 asking him to take steps to prevent Huneke from abusing anyone else. The suit says McGann wrote a letter saying, “Father Huneke acknowledged his responsibility and assured me that he has been receiving counseling and spiritual direction and that this matter has not been a problem for over a period of approximately two years.”
After learning Huneke had been transferred to St. Petersburg, Salveson wrote a letter to then-Bishop of St. Petersburg, William Larkin, alerting him that he was sexually abused by Huneke. Larkin wrote back hat he did not know “whether (Huneke) is undergoing any kind of therapy but will look into the matter.”
Larkin did nothing, the lawsuit said.
Salveson is not a party in the lawsuit.
Cattell’s attorney, Jeff Herman, called this lawsuit, “another heartbreaking example of the Catholic Church protecting pedophile priests instead of children. These horrific acts should have never happened. For too long, the Church has been able to hide behind the statute of limitations to avoid responsibility.
"This case shows why the statute of limitations must be amended nationwide to hold institutions accountable for protecting sexual predators.”
Cattell's lawsuit filed against the Diocese of Rockville Centre and the Diocese of St. Petersburg in the Middle District of Florida.
10News WTSP does not publish the name of sexual abuse victims unless they consent to make their names public.
Cattell lawsuit by on Scribd
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