Father William T. Byrne
Diocese of Tucson
Ordained: 1952
Died: 1991
Assigned as follows:
- 1952 Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, (Tucson, AZ)
- 1952-1953 Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish, (Miami, AZ)
- 1953-1956 Immaculate Conception Parish, (Douglas, AZ)
- 1956 St. Ambrose Parish, (Tucson, AZ)
- 1956-1962 Regina Cleri Seminary, (Tucson, AZ)
- 1962-1964 St. Henry Parish, Mission Trailer Apostolate (Buckeye/Gila Bend, AZ)
- 1964-1967 St. Jerome Parish, (Phoenix, AZ)
- 1967 Christ the King Parish, (Mesa, AZ)
- 1967-1971 Sacred Heart Parish, (Clifton, AZ)
- 1971-1975 St. Francis of Assisi Parish, (Yuma, AZ)
- 1975-1981 Our Mother of Sorrows Parish, (Tucson, AZ)
- 1981-1985 Vocations, Diocese of Tucson
- 1985-1991 St. Ambrose Parish, (Tucson, AZ)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father William T. Byrne :
According to media reports, Father William T. Byrne has been named in multiple civil lawsuits accusing him of both adult and child sexual abuse. In a 1999 lawsuit, Father Byrne was accused of sexually abusing a minor from approximately 1976 to 1979 at Our Mother of Sorrows in Tucson, Arizona. In a 2002 lawsuit, Father Byrne was accused of sexually abusing two minor brothers at Holy Cross in Clifton, Arizona during the summers of 1968 and 1969. He took the boys to a church camp where he gave them cigarettes and alcohol, showed them pornographic movies, let them drive cars without licenses and sexually molested them.
According to another lawsuit, during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Father Byrne and three other priests had sex with a Tucson teenager who was later given a chancery job to ensure his silence. Another lawsuit claimed Father Byrne provided a minor boy with alcohol and took him to pornographic films on trips, and told him that certain sexuality was exempt from the prohibition of the church.
Father Byrne died in 1991. Prior to his death and the suits, the church officials said they were not aware of any allegations.
Father Byrne was one of four priests named in a $14M civil settlement the Diocese of Tucson reached with 10 men in January 2002.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Tucson. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Tucson, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Tucson now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an email to [email protected] to discuss your options today.