Child Abuse from Priest Born in Nazareth?

Let's hope this one isn't true. There's been so many.

Philip DeRea, celebrity priest raised in Nazareth, accused of molestation in federal lawsuit
Published: Friday, April 15, 2011, 5:34 PM Updated: Friday, April 15, 2011, 7:02 PM

By Express-Times staff Follow Share Email Print


The Rev. Philip DeRea, raised in Nazareth, was chaplain to professional auto racing circuits and is a longtime friend of the Andretti racing family. Shown here is the now-shuttered Nazareth Speedway in Lower Nazareth Township.

The Rev. Philip DeRea, a Roman Catholic priest who was raised in the Lehigh Valley and for years was chaplain to professional auto racing circuits, is accused in a federal lawsuit of sexually abusing a child for eight years in the 1980s.

DeRea, who was born in Roseto and raised in Nazareth, is accused by a now 40-year-old Maryland man identified in U.S. District Court in Illinois only as John Doe, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

According to the complaint, the man had repressed the memories of the sexual abuse, which began when he was 11 and lasted for about eight years in Washington, D.C., where both DeRea and the man had lived, the newspaper reports.

DeRea for many years was chaplain to the CART and IRL Indy Car racing series.

DeRea could not immediately be reached for comment. His longtime friend, racing legend Mario Andretti, said DeRea is devastated by the allegations.

"He's not doing well," said Andretti, who lives in Bushkill Township, outside Nazareth. "I offered to help him however. It's just heart-wrenching.

"Knowing his character and everything, there’s no possible way that I can believe that something like this could happen. I cannot in any possible way believe any of it. There’s no way."

Andretti said he heard about the lawsuit Thursday night and spoke to DeRea, who is in Long Beach, Calif., this weekend for an IndyCar series race Sunday.

"I said, 'Just be strong. You have a lot of friends. We’re in your corner,'" Andretti said. "I’ll be in his corner forever."

DeRea enjoyed celebrity status for his association with the Andrettis and auto racing. He spent time with Mother Teresa in Calcutta and worked as a missionary in Haiti and Colombia.

He was ordained a priest on Sept. 21, 1968, at Holy Family Church in Nazareth and is a member of the Society of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, a religious order of priests.

The lawsuit also names the order as a defendant, claiming it was negligent in supervising DeRea, the Tribune reports.

The Rev. Ray Diesbourg, provincial of the order, said he was saddened to learn of the lawsuit.
"These allegations are contrary to our mission and all to which we profess," he said in a statement.

Diesbourg said the order's prayers go out to all involved in the legal matter and to all victims of sexual abuse.

"The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are deeply committed to the protection of children, recognizing that this is both a matter of justice and respect for human dignity," he said in the statement. "Abuse and neglect of minors are contrary to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, and our members have a responsibility to protect minors."

In 1981, DeRea became director of the Missionary Vehicle Association, a nonprofit, nondenominational association formed to provide vehicles for American missionaries abroad.

The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District Court of Illinois because the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart is based in Aurora, the Tribune reports.

According to the newspaper, the complaint alleges DeRea used his association with celebrities and racers to make the plaintiff feel honored to have a connection with him.

After the man graduated from high school, the abuse ceased and he maintained sporadic contact with DeRea, who baptized the plaintiff's two children, according to the newspaper.

According to the complaint, a 2006 "minor incident" involving the plaintiff's son "prompted a flood of memories" about the sexual abuse, and the man's life has spiraled downward since then, the newspaper reported.

He got divorced, lost his restaurant franchise business and has financial problems, the Chicago Tribune reports, citing the complaint.

The man is seeking damages and a permanent injunction barring DeRea from contact with children, according to the newspaper.

Andretti said he's known DeRea since he went to Nazareth High School with Andretti's wife, Dee Ann. He questioned the motivation of the legal action.

"I don’t know what goes through people’s minds," Andretti said. "One of the articles I saw mentions my name as a friend. I don’t know if these people think I will come to the rescue and cough up millions of dollars, which isn't going to happen. I don’t know what these people are thinking. Obviously, the motivation is that.

"He’s claiming this happened in the 1980s. Why now? Is it all of a sudden he sees that (DeRea's) friends will come to the rescue and cough up what this guy is asking? It’s greed that motivates something like this. Nothing else.

"It doesn’t hold any water for me."

A thought-provoking comment from blu-star:


"An adult who is sexually attracted to young children is a pedophile and even recently in Rome there seems to be some confusion regarding the truth in these matters. The Berlosconian culture seems to gravitate toward's child abuse and sexual promiscuity, all in my American Anglo-saxon humble opinion, of course.

In issues of child abuse and pedophilia, child psychologists know that this behavior is on a spectrum. Pedophiles often think that they have done nothing wrong because they claim to “love” children. Sometimes pedaphiles actually think they are doing the child a great service when they are in fact violating them.

Pedaphile's don't have correct boundaries they often act like they really don't have a clue regarding boundaries, danger, or what is, or what is not in the child's best interest. Being clueless is not an acceptable excuse, however.

One factor that works against the pedophile is that eventually the children will grow up and recall the events that occurred. Often, pedophiles are not brought to justice until such time occurs and victims are angered by being victimized and want to protect other children from the same consequences.

Sadly, pedophiles think they are above the law and when they are pushed to realize the truth, severe denial is their psychological mechanism. Pedaphiles ALWAYS think they are innocent and gravitate toward their child-like mind set of beliefs and values. They love children, after all."

Posted by blu-star to Witness-2 at May 3, 2011 1:26 PM