Father Edward McLoughlin
Diocese of Venice
Ordained: 1978
Laicized: 2000
Assignment History:
- Charles Borromeo (Port Charlotte, FL)
- Epiphany Parish (Venice, FL)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Edward McLoughlin:
In 1997, a civil lawsuit was filed against the Diocese of Venice, naming the diocese, Father Nevins, Fr. Trepinski, Fr. Ed McLoughlin, and his brother, Fr. Nicholas McLoughlin.
In the lawsuit, the young man alleged that in 1991 he was molested by Trepinski for 11 years beginning at age 13. The victim said that when he confided in Fr. Ed McLoughlin in 1992 about being repeatedly molested by Trepinski, the priest said he needed to be punished and spanked him. Ed McLoughlin began molesting him in the ensuing weeks and continued to do so for 21/2 years at the St. Charles Borromeo parish office, the parish house, the boy’s home and Ed McLoughlin’s apartment. The victim also alleged that Edward’s brother, Father Nick McLoughlin, helped cover up the abuse.
In reports were discovered during the lawsuit, it was discovered that there were teacher complaints made in 1989 citing sexual abuse incidents as early as 1981. Records obtained from Ed McLoughlin’s personnel file showed that dating to 1982, he was referred to counseling services for a variety of problems when he was an assistant pastor at Epiphany Parish in Venice, but a decade later, he was still permitted unsupervised contact with boys.
His professional counseling began in 1982 when he was evaluated at a Clearwater center affiliated with the Catholic Church. In 1983, he attended Foundation House, an evaluation and counseling center for priests in New Mexico. That same year, the house director said an academic teaching position at the high school level would be “appropriate” for the priest. Fr. McLoughlin was appointed associate pastor of St. Charles Borromeo in 1984.
In 1989, complaints from some parents were forwarded to the Rev. Jerome Carosella, chancellor at the Diocese of Venice, about Ed McLoughlin’s actions. Those actions included swatting students on the buttocks, horseplay with young boys and accounts of McLoughlin leaving the playground with individual students.
The Diocese of Venice settled the lawsuit in 1999 for $599K. Fr. McLoughlin was laicized in 2000. Reportedly in 2002 he was living in Ireland.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Venice in Florida. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Florida, contact our office today. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Florida and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.