A man who made allegations against a retired priest will receive ongoing counseling and a $6,000 payment for temporal needs by the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City.
The retired priest, the Rev. Lawrence M. Spellen, was accused by a 27-year-old man who says he had an ongoing relationship with the priest since he was a teenager.The Rev. Spellen served 34 years as a priest at seven Utah parishes and for a few years was a teacher at Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City before his retirement in 1987.
The accuser said the relationship began when he was a minor and when Spellen was pastor of Salt Lake's St. Patrick's Parish during the mid-80s.
The Very Rev. Robert Bussen, vicar general of the diocese in Salt Lake City, said the man's allegations and his threat of a lawsuit have been resolved.
Last week, Bishop William K. Weigand of the Salt Lake diocese reported in the Intermountain Catholic newspaper that a young man made allegations dating between 1982-87 when the Rev. Spellen was pastor of St. Patrick's Parish in Salt Lake City.
The diocese first heard about the allegations last summer when the 76-year-old priest told Bishop Weigand he was being privately accused of sexual misconduct. The Rev. Spellen's prerogatives to perform priestly functions were suspended after preliminary investigations.
In October, the accuser visited the Rev. Bussen, who offered to provide psychological help. On Nov. 30, the man's lawyer threatened to sue unless his client was provided a substantial cash payment, Weigand said.
In another case, three people charge that they were abused by a lay volunteer at the Cathedral of the Madeleine.
" was immediately relieved of his services," said Bishop Weigand. The Rev. Bussen said the volunteer, who was not identified, had not been involved in youth ministries.
Last September, a man in his mid-20s told the Rev. Bussen that he was abused by the layman 15 years earlier. He said he knew of other victims and talked with two others, who subsequently visited diocesan officials with him to discuss their cases.
The Rev. Bussen said the three, in their 20s, are receiving professional counseling. They are not threatening the diocese with a civil lawsuit, he said.