“Father Cuenin apparently overlooked his own actions when he called for disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law to resign amidst the clergy sexual abuse crisis in Boston,” stated Mitchell Garabedian, the attorney for a male victim who requested anonymity. Cuenin, now residing in a Virginia nursing home, denied any sexual misconduct when questioned about an incident involving a 20-year-old victim during a trip to New York. A lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court alleges that Cuenin invited the student to attend a concert in New York City and later engaged in sexual abuse while sharing a hotel room. The victim experienced severe emotional and physical distress following the incident, as detailed in the legal complaint. Garabedian, known for his work in exposing abuse within the Boston Catholic Archdiocese, continues to advocate for survivors of sexual abuse.
Law, who resigned in 2002 amid accusations of covering up abuse scandals, was later given a position in Rome and passed away in 2017. The victim, a 20-year-old student at Brandeis University, bravely came forward to seek justice and prevent future harm to children. Cuenin, recognized for his support of gay marriage and women priests, faced allegations of abuse during his time at Brandeis and left his chaplaincy position for medical reasons.
X other Boston-area churches, including over a decade at Our Lady Help of Christians in posh Newton, MA, according to his assignment history, before being forced out from the Archdiocese in 2005 in retaliation for his speaking out against Law, he told The Globe in 2014. Shortly after, he joined the Jewish-sponsored Brandeis University. “The church got rid of me but the Jews took me in,” he told The Globe. Brandeis and the Boston Archdiocese declined to comment.
