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from Theological Issues
New York Socialite Sues
Catholic Church Over Priest Sex Abuse
October 14, 2005 -
J. David Enright IV, a wealthy Albany socialite has sued the Catholic Church over being repeatedly
molested by Rev. Joseph Romano who was a seminary counselor at Camp Tekawitha in 1961 and 1962.
Enright says he became a homosexual as a result of his molestation. Enright told the New York Post,
"I believe that my life would be very different now. I'd probably be married, living in Greenwich,
with four children in boarding school."
Enright says that Romano, then 21, took him behind a cabin after dinner and evening prayers and
engaged in sex with him. The molestation was repeated up to seven times that summer. According to
Enright, Romano claimed that this was a "rite of passage" for the boy.
Enright learned in September that Romano, who is retired and living in Florida, may have molested
two other children. Romano was suspended from the Albany Diocese in 2003 but is seeking restoration
of his priestly position.
Enright's lawsuit again brings to light the unusually high rate of sexual molestation experienced by
individuals with same-sex attractions (SSA). The most recent survey comparing the rate of
molestation between homosexuals and heterosexuals was published in the Journal of Consulting and
Clinical Psychology (June, 2005, Vol. 73, No. 3, 477-487).
The article, "Victimization Over the Life Span: A Comparison of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Heterosexual Siblings," found that childhood sexual abuse was 12.8% for heterosexual men, 44.1% for
bisexual men, and 31.8% for gay men. Childhood sexual abuse was reported by 30.4% of heterosexual
women, 47.6% of bisexual women, and 43.6% of lesbians.
A similar study published in 2001 in the Archives of Sexual Behavior (Vol. 30(3), pp. 535-541) found
that 42% of gay males and 22% of lesbians reported homosexual molestation in childhood. This
compared to molestation rates of 7% for heterosexual men and 1% for heterosexual women.
In this particular study, 68% of the men and 38% of the women did not identify as homosexuals until
after the molestation. (Tomeo, M., Templer, D., Anderson, S., Kotler, D., "Comparative Data Of
Childhood And Adolescence Molestation In Heterosexual And Homosexual Persons.")
Additional Reading: Letter to the Catholic Bishops by Dr. Richard
Fitzgibbons.
Updated: 8 February 2008
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