Philadelphia: A Philadelphia man at the heart of an unprecedented criminal case against the Philadelphia archdiocese says the church let two priests and a teacher rape him.
The 23-year-old man accuses the Roman Catholic church of "callous indifference" to his suffering as an altar boy.
The Philadelphia Inquirer first reported on the suit filed this week by a man identified as "Billy" in a February grand jury report.
The report led to the filing of rape charges against his alleged attackers, and child-endangerment charges against a former church official.
Monsignor William Lynn is the first US church official charged for allegedly transferring problem priests without warning.
The civil suit names Lynn and former Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua as defendants, along with the alleged rapists.
The archdiocese is not commenting on the lawsuit.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, July 28, 2011, 11:06