A Tarrant County man claims in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was sexually abused as a minor by a priest who taught religion at Nolan High School and served as an assistant pastor at All Saints Catholic Church in Fort Worth. In the lawsuit, a John Doe says that from about 1982 to 1987, when he was a minor, he was sexually abused by Father William Paiz of the Claretian Order in the rectories of All Saints Catholic Church, St. George Church and other places. The lawsuit also alleges that the Fort Worth Catholic Diocese conspired with others to conceal Paiz's abuse of minors. The plaintiff's attorney is Tahira Kham Merritt of Dallas, who has handled a number of such lawsuits. The suit was filed in state district court in Tarrant County.
--Lois Norder
This brave victim is to be commended for speaking up and taking action to expose the truth. Church officials can not always be trusted to have victims and our children’s best interest at heart.
Hopefully others, who may have knowledge or may have been harmed by Fr William Paiz, will have the courage to come forward and report it to police, not church officials.
Keep in mind your silence only hurts, and by speaking up there is a chance for healing, exposing the truth, and therefore protecting others. Also know that you are not alone, and there is hope and help.
Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, USA, 636-433-2511
snapjudy@gmail.com
"Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests" and all clergy.
http://www.snapnetwork.org/
Posted by: Judy Jones | January 31, 2012 at 04:23 PM