The
Concord Monitor reports today that the Catholic diocese of Manchester has settled a breach of contract lawsuit filed against it in February in which a 14-year old boy's parents complained about statements made by a priest to their son during confession at his Catholic school. The suit claims the school failed to provide the safe learning environment that was promised. In the settlement, the diocese will pay only $2000, which will be used for the boy's future educational costs. According to the paper's report:
In the lawsuit filed at Hillsborough County Superior Court, [the parents] accused [Rev. George] Desjardins of asking the boy whether he had “engaged in watching pornographic material and masturbating.” When the boy said that he hadn’t and that he had a girlfriend, Desjardins told the boy to use “rubbers” and warned him to be careful because a girl can “yell ‘rape’ ” during sex, the lawsuit continued.
The parents also accused Desjardins, who is an assisting retired priest at Christ the King Parish, of attempting to grab the boy twice as the student tried to avoid him. [A diocese spokesman] has said that physical contact was nothing more than a handshake after Mass....
Even though school officials did not believe that the priest's remarks amounted to misconduct, Desjardins took a leave of absence once the lawsuit was filed.
