Lawsuit filed against Catholic Diocese of Nashville, St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church
By JOSEPH WENZEL, DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER
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NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) — A lawsuit has been filed against the Catholic Diocese of Nashville and a church in Davidson County.
The lawsuit alleges that people at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church did not stop repeated rapes and incidents of sexually exploiting children on the church property from 2014-2017.
Michael D. Lewis was employed by the Catholic Diocese of Nashville as the director of the Parish School of Religion program at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Murfreesboro.
In June, a grand jury indicted Lewis on 10 counts of statutory rape and four counts of sexual battery by an authority figure. The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office stated that the alleged rape took place five years ago while the child was in middle school.
The lawsuit states that the victim of the abuse was a parishioner, student, and dedicated volunteer at St. Rose. The lawsuit also states that Lewis took the victim to isolated locations at St. Rose and inappropriately touched her in public.
The lawsuit said St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church and the Catholic Diocese of Nashville “gave Lewis token reminders to follow Diocesan policies.” The lawsuit said Lewis continued until 2017.
The Catholic Diocese of Nashville released the following statement to News 4.
It is not appropriate for us to respond to questions about this lawsuit until our attorneys have an opportunity to review the complaint. As the legal process unfolds, we anticipate more information will be forthcoming. We encourage everyone who suspects that abuse is taking place to report it to civil authorities, and we pray for everyone involved in this matter.
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