Retired bishop faces abuse suit

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A local man filed suit Wednesday against a retired Roman Catholic bishop he claims sexually abused him as a child.

The plaintiff filed the suit as John Doe E.K. against Bishop Joseph H. Hart, who spent 20 years at five Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph parishes before becoming auxiliary bishop in Cheyenne, Wyo.

Representatives of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said it was the fifth lawsuit against Hart filed by victims, though none of that litigation has been resolved.

The vicar general of the Kansas City diocese issued a statement saying church officials had no information about the suit or the alleged victim. He said Hart had "steadfastly denied" previous allegations and that the bishop had underwent a psychiatric evaluation that did not deem him a threat.

The lawsuit says the alleged victim was raised in a Catholic family and that he had a job answering phones at his parish, St. John Francis Regis in Kansas City. The suit claims Hart molested the boy at the church rectory and groped and fondled him while playing basketball.

The alleged victim is now in his 40s, married with children, living in the Kansas City area and working in construction.

Officials from SNAP delivered a letter to the chanceries in Kansas City and Cheyenne calling on diocesan officials to work harder to help those who may have been assaulted by Hart and to remove the bishop's name from a wing of the St. Joseph's Orphanage in Torrington, Wyo.

"The least church officials can do is not publicly honor a credibly accused child molester," said David Clohessy, the national director of SNAP.

Besides Hart, the suit also names the Kansas City diocese, which is accused of ignoring and concealing the defendant's alleged conduct.

Murphy issued a statement expressing concern for both Hart and the alleged victim.

"People who have been harmed deserve justice," he said. "We also must cautiously explore every allegation, because not every accusation is just."