Fr. Luigi Esposito
Archdiocese of Baltimore/Vincentian
Ordained: 1964
Removed: 2018
Died: 2021
Assignment History:
- 1964-2018: Our Lady of Pompei (Baltimore, MD)
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Father Luigi Esposito
Fr. Luigi Esposito was ordained a priest of the Congregation of the Mission of St. Vincent de Paul (Vincentians), in Naples, Italy. He was incardinated into the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2000. In 2018, Fr. Esposito was listed on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse of Minors list. In April 2023, Maryland’s Attorney General released a report alleging 156 Catholic clergy members sexually abused at least 600 children over six decades. The report lists the names of the abusers, including Fr. Esposito.
According to the AG’s report, Fr. Esposito was a pastor, teacher, and athletic coach at Our Lady of Pompei High School. In May 2018, a woman reported to the archdiocese that she was sexually abused by Esposito multiple times, beginning in approximately 1973, when she was 14 years old, until she graduated. She claims that Esposito started “grooming” her when she was about 5-7. The victim described the abuse as kissing, caressing, genital touching, and rubbing, among other things. She claims the abuse occurred in Esposito’s school office, classrooms in the school, the church rectory, and his personal vehicle while parked in a remote area. Events surrounding the abuse included dinners, the opera at the Lyric in Baltimore City, and visiting a convent in New Jersey. The victim believed Esposito was obsessed and in love with her. Over the years, Esposito would stick his tongue in the victim’s mouth, hold and rub against her while he had an erection, grind against her, and touch her genitals and breasts. The victim remembered her genitals being sore due to how rough he was. Esposito told her when he ejaculated, “You made me spill seed,” and would say that no one is supposed to “spill seed” unless they were making a baby. When the victim was 15-16 years old, she told Esposito his past and ongoing abuse of her “wasn’t right.”
The archdiocese made the mandatory report of the abuse to authorities, and Esposito was removed from ministry. When confronted by the archdiocese, Esposito admitted he was close to her and had a “crush.” Esposito claimed he did not recall if he was ever alone with the victim in his car but admitted that he might have hugged and “kissed her on the lips when he was alone in his office with her.” He further admitted to kissing her as a teenager and giving her gifts.
That same year, in 2018, a second victim reported to the archdiocese that she was abused by Esposito when she was 16 from 1972 to 1973. Esposito immediately took an interest in the victim, bought her gifts, and took her to the opera and dinner. The victim recalls that on one specific incident, Esposito took her to an opera. While driving her home, he pulled over near Patterson Park on Highland Avenue, kissed her on the mouth, and reached over and fondled her breasts. The victim was so uncomfortable that she exited the vehicle and walked the rest of the way home. Esposito treated her differently after the incident, and there was no further physical contact.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Maryland, contact our office today. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse nationwide. We can help. Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.