Virginia woman accuses priest of sexual abuse during exorcisms
Catholic Archbishop of Denver Charles Chaput sits for an interview at a news conference on July 20, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Chaput was announced as the Archbishop-designate for the diocese of Philadelphia, one of the country’s largest dioceses in the United States. The church in Philadelphia is still reeling from a sex abuse scandal which resulted in the indictment of four priests and a parochial school teacher.
Exorcisms, if you believe in them, are known to be pretty intense.
But a Virginia woman claims hers also got a bit freaky, accusing a Catholic priest of sexually abusing her during a series of exorcisms he performed on her between April 2008 and September 2010, Reuters reported.
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She is suing the Catholic Diocese of Arlington and its bishop, Paul Loverde, as well as the anti-abortion group Human Life International and HLI Endowment Inc. for $5.3 million in damages.
According to the lawsuit, she signed on for "spiritual help" from the Rev. Thomas Euteneuer in February 2008 because she believed she desperately needed an exorcism.
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The woman, identified in the litigation as Jane Doe, claims Euteneuer repeatedly hugged, kissed and groped her, saying he was "blowing the Holy Spirit into her," The Northern Virginia Daily reported.
On about six occasions, the woman said Euteneuer touched and kissed her body, and put his finger in her vagina, Reuters reported.
The Diocese of Arlington denied ever employing Euteneuer, although another diocese in Palm Beach said he had been recalled when the allegations surfaced and can no longer celebrate Mass or administer sacraments.
Euteneuer is not named in the suit because they reached a settlement outside of court, the woman's attorney, Demetrios C. Pikrallidas, told The Northern Virginia Daily.