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Black Roman Catholic ex-priest - alleged homo boy-molester stole money to seduce victims
Seattle - A former Roman Catholic priest ousted from the ministry for allegedly molesting boys diverted thousands of dollars of church money toward personal expenses, in some cases showering his alleged victims with gifts. John Cornelius, who was permanently dismissed from the priesthood, repaid the money after the investigation and the archdiocese later curtailed his authority to deal with parish finances. Cornelius has not admitted sexually abusing his accusers, but apologized.
Member of family close to priest files abuse suit
Nearly two years ago, when the Rev. John Cornelius was
accused of molesting minors, the McKenna family of Idaho was among his staunchest supporters, having known the Roman Catholic priest since his days as a seminarian.
But now one family member says he, too, was sexually abused as a minor by Cornelius.
Timothy McKenna, 45, of Idaho Falls, accuses Cornelius of abusing him from about 1969 to 1975, when McKenna was about 10 to 16. In a lawsuit filed recently in King County Superior Court, McKenna claims the abuse happened while Cornelius was a student at Mount Angel Seminary near Portland, then later as a priest-in-training at St. Thomas seminary in Kenmore, and as a priest with the Seattle Archdiocese.
In an interview, McKenna said he "felt very confused" when abuse allegations against Cornelius came to public attention in April 2002 and he read accounts in which his family defended the p
riest. "That's when I started coming to terms with the issues myself," he said.
For years he had blamed himself for the alleged abuse and only sp
oke of it with his family in the summer of 2002, shortly after more accusers against Cornelius came forward.
Cornelius had befriended the McKenna family while Timothy's brother, Steve McKenna, was a high-school student at Mount Angel. Cornelius would visit the McKenna family home, and the family informally adopted him. For a time, Cornelius even went by the name John McKenna.
Seattle - A former Roman Catholic priest ousted from the ministry for allegedly molesting boys diverted thousands of dollars of church money toward personal expenses, in some cases showering his alleged victims with gifts. John Cornelius, who was permanently dismissed from the priesthood, repaid the money after the investigation and the archdiocese later curtailed his authority to deal with parish finances. Cornelius has not admitted sexually abusing his accusers, but apologized.
Member of family close to priest files abuse suit
Nearly two years ago, when the Rev. John Cornelius was
accused of molesting minors, the McKenna family of Idaho was among his staunchest supporters, having known the Roman Catholic priest since his days as a seminarian.
But now one family member says he, too, was sexually abused as a minor by Cornelius.
Timothy McKenna, 45, of Idaho Falls, accuses Cornelius of abusing him from about 1969 to 1975, when McKenna was about 10 to 16. In a lawsuit filed recently in King County Superior Court, McKenna claims the abuse happened while Cornelius was a student at Mount Angel Seminary near Portland, then later as a priest-in-training at St. Thomas seminary in Kenmore, and as a priest with the Seattle Archdiocese.
In an interview, McKenna said he "felt very confused" when abuse allegations against Cornelius came to public attention in April 2002 and he read accounts in which his family defended the p
riest. "That's when I started coming to terms with the issues myself," he said.
For years he had blamed himself for the alleged abuse and only sp
oke of it with his family in the summer of 2002, shortly after more accusers against Cornelius came forward.
Cornelius had befriended the McKenna family while Timothy's brother, Steve McKenna, was a high-school student at Mount Angel. Cornelius would visit the McKenna family home, and the family informally adopted him. For a time, Cornelius even went by the name John McKenna.