HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A former alter boy at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Myrtle Beach was sexually abused for years by a priest who died in 2004, a lawsuit alleges.
The John Doe complaint filed Jan. 8 in Horry County Common Pleas also alleges that diocesan officials had full knowledge of the acts. The suit is seeking an undisclosed amount of money for “many types of injuries and damages including severe pain, suffering and mental anguish.”
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The Catholic Diocese of Charleston in a court filing of its own has asked to have the case moved to U.S. District Court.
The 24-page suit accuses the diocese and its bishop at the time of “facilitating a hunting field for young boys by pedophile priests which caused horrific damage to countless children, including the Plaintiff.”
The priest, Robert Kelly, died at the age of 77. He served at St. Andrew Catholic Church from 1990 through 1994.