6th suit claims molestation by priest in Philadelphia

Philadelphia Catholic Church officials have been named in a sixth lawsuit, filed Monday by a group of lawyers on behalf of victims of alleged sexual abuse by clergy members. This case involves a Northeast Philadelphia parish.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a 32-year-old Phoenix, Arizona, man who grew up in Philadelphia. He claims he was sexually abused by the Rev. Robert Brennan in the early 1990s while he was working in the parish rectory at Resurrection of Our Lord Parish.

Lawyer Marci Hamilton said the man identified Brennan as his abuser after his family learned recently about the grand jury reports alleging molestation by priests in the Philadelphia Archdiocese. Hamilton said church officials’ decision to move Brennan from parish to parish, even after knowing about abuse allegations, is troubling,

“The decisions that were made by the hierarchy now for decades have been callous but they have been reckless,” she said Monday. “They have known about abusers like Brennan and they have kept them in positions where they get easy access to Catholic children.”

Hamilton said she’s heard from many abuse victims since the grand jury report was issued.

Archdiocese officials declined to comment.