CV NEWS FEED // The archbishop of the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska, has issued a statement denying a sexual abuse allegation made against him in a recent lawsuit filed in St. Louis, Missouri.
The lawsuit in St. Louis filed on July 24 accuses Archbishop George Lucas of sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy in the late 1980s, when Lucas was a priest and dean of education at St. Louis Preparatory Seminary, according to the Associated Press: “The lawsuit accused Lucas of sexually abusing the boy multiple times and offering better grades for sexual favors.”
On July 25, Archbishop Lucas issued a statement: “I categorically deny the accusation made by an anonymous person. I have never had sexual contact with another person. I referred the matter to the apostolic nuncio, Pope Francis’ representative in Washington, D.C., for his guidance.”
The accusation against Archbishop Lucas is among a broader number of sexual abuse accusations made by 60 people against Catholic priests, nuns, and others in a total of five lawsuits filed in St. Louis and other local counties last week, according to the Associated Press. The oldest allegations of abuse in the lawsuits date back to the 1940s, and the most recent dates to 2015.
