NEW YORK _ An outspoken, internationally-known gay Catholic priest renowned for his work among New York's AIDS patients in the 1980s was accused in a Wednesday lawsuit of sexually assaulting a teen student at a Bronx school four decades ago.
The anonymous plaintiff, then a 16-year-old at Mount St. Michael Academy, alleged the sexual abuse occurred in 1978-79 when Father Bernard Lynch served as the school's campus chaplain. Lynch was tried and acquitted of abusing a different student from the same school after a 1989 Bronx trial.
In this case, Lynch "performed oral intercourse on plaintiff and digitally penetrated plaintiff after Christian Club meetings at Mount St. Michael Academy," the 23-page Manhattan court filing charged. "Defendants allowed Fr. Bernard Lynch unsupervised and unlimited access to young children."
The suit was filed one day before Lynch was scheduled to receive the Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad in recognition of his charitable works, with Irish President Michael Higgins making the presentation.
The accuser "hopes that children and their parents will not be intoxicated by Father Lynch's big personality and public recognition and instead protect themselves from sexual abuse," said the accuser's attorney, Patrick Noaker. "This man is very brave to take this action so that others can be spared."
The Irish-born Lynch was an openly gay priest who left New York following the 1989 allegation of sexual abuse that ended with his acquittal in a Bronx trial _ and his supporters charging the whole thing was a frame-up.
The plaintiff in the current case is not the accuser in the case from 30 years ago, according to Noaker's office. An email to Lynch for comment Wednesday was not returned.
Noaker, whose office brought the case that ended the career of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, alleged the school and church officials turned a blind eye to the predator in their midst.
"Defendants further breached their duties by hiding a pedophile and engaging in a cover-up of abuse perpetrated by Fr. Bernard Lynch," according to the lawsuit. "Defendants (held) out clergy members, including Fr. Bernard Lynch, as safe, moral and trustworthy people."
During his time in New York, the high-profile priest ministered to those dying from AIDS, fought for gay rights, and appeared as a guest on the "Today" show and Phil Donohue's talk show to discuss the topics. He served at Mount St. Michael from 1978-87.
"We take all allegations of abuse seriously, but we are not commenting on individual lawsuits," said a statement from the Archdiocese of New York, named as a co-defendant in the case.
Mount St. Michael, also cited as a defendant, did not return an email for comment on the allegations.
Lynch, now 72, was born in County Clare, Ireland, and ordained a priest in 1971. He was never laicized, and remains a Catholic priest living with his husband in London.
