Timothy Paul McGettigan, from Texas claims he was sexually abused and tortured by several priests in a church basement in the 1970s. He is suing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown and one of its churches, St. Catharine of Siena in Reading.
The 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report exposed the Allentown Diocese priests of unreported sexual abuse by clergy across the state, which is what gave McGettigan the idea to come forward., once he realized he was not the only victim.
In the lawsuit, McGettigan alleges he was sexually abused by two priests, the Rev. Joseph Grembocki and the Rev. David A. Soderlund, as well as several other priests he cannot identify.
Grembocki, is not named in the Pennsylvania grand jury report and no other accusation has surfaced against him. He died in July 2016 .
Soderlund moved to Wyoming when he was defrocked in 2005 and then was sent to prison for exploiting children and possessing child pornography.
Soderlund was named in the grand jury report and is a registered sex offender in Wyoming.
Church officials claim they were unaware of the lawsuit and did not comment on the allegations.
“The diocese learned about the lawsuit from a reporter. We will be reviewing it,” diocese spokesman Matt Kerr said.
