Six lawsuits alleging abuse in five parishes over a 30-year period were filed May 17 at the King County Superior Court in Washington state, reports local Washington news channel KIRO7.
According to KIRO7, the Seattle Archdiocese released a list of 77 church pedophiles in January, which included the names of the accused priests.
“After the Archdiocese released the list of names our office received dozens of calls from abuse survivors, including many people who thought they were the only one. These cases represent the first group of abuse victims who decided they wanted to take action, but I would be surprised if more claims are not filed,” said attorney Michael Pfau.
There is also a church worker, named in one of the lawsuits, not included on the list of pedophiles released by the Seattle Archdiocese. Jim Funnell was a youth minister at St. John Vianney in Kirkland.
These accusations suggest evidence of a coverup on the part of the Seattle Archdiocese, wrote KIRO7 reporter Dave Wagner, who first broke the story on his Facebook page.
But "the Seattle Archdiocese maintains it is trying to atone for the sins of the past."
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