Father James McSweeney
Diocese of Raleigh
Ordained: 1950
Died: 1999
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father James McSweeney:
Father James McSweeney was ordained a priest in 1950 and served as a chancellor and vicar general in the Diocese of Raleigh. According to media reports, in 2004, he was accused of molesting an underage boy over a period of three years. The alleged abuse started in 1970 when the boy was only 11 years old. The victim said the abuse would happen on trips, in the rectory, and in a car. The diocese settled the claim in March 2004.
A second victim filed a lawsuit in 1999 and claimed that McSweeney piled her with drugs and alcohol, inducing her to “engage in illicit sexual misconduct and other led and lascivious acts with him.” She also stated that former Santa Rosa Bishop G. Patrick Ziemann knew that McSweeney “had numerous sexual affairs” and “fathered children from these liaisons.” The Bishop said the claims were considered credible.
McSweeney’s name appears on the Diocese of Raleigh’s October 2018 list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor.
McSweeney died in 1999.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Raleigh in North Carolina. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in North Carolina, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Raleigh now have legal options, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in North Carolina and nationwide. We can help.
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