Eleven Sue MO Diocese Over Alleged Child Sex Abuse

The Joplin Globe reports:

Boys from Joplin and Carthage and a boy and a girl from Neosho are among 11 alleged victims of past sexual abuse by Catholic Church officials cited in a lawsuit filed last week against the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau.

The diocese and Bishop Edward Rice are listed as defendants in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Springfield regarding purported abuse of children dating back as far as the late 1960s by six named and three unnamed priests, a monsignor, an unnamed youth pastor and an unnamed deacon.

Rice is being sued solely in his capacity as the chief executive officer and director of the diocese for purportedly knowing about the abuse, failing to report it and dealing with it through ineffective “treatment” and transfers of the offenders to other parishes where they would often reoffend.

Read the full article. As always, there’s much more.

11 plaintiffs file lawsuit against Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, claiming sexual abuse. In a statement, the diocese vowed to investigate the new claims and pray for those who’ve been abused: https://t.co/datMJUX6mW

— JackieRehwald (@JRehwaldSGF) September 17, 2024