Six more women have filed lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Diocese alleging that they were sexually abused by a priest serving at Lewiston and Portland parishes between 1958 and 1967.
Patricia Butkowski, 70, was six years old when she says Father Lawrence Sabatino of St. Patrick Church in Lewiston sexually abused her. She says her mother confronted the Diocese but later learned that the priest had been transferred to a Portland parish where he allegedly abused at least five more young girls.
"It was not until 2005 that I found out there were other victims. I'm doing this for my mother, for myself and for other victims, children in their hearts, who can still not come forward," she says.
A total of 20 lawsuits against the Catholic Diocese have been filed since a Maine law removed the statute of limitations on civil complaints. The Diocese did not respond to a request for a comment by air time.
