Church settles abuse case

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- The Washington Archdiocese has settled a lawsuit brought by a man who says he was molested by a priest who later broke with the Catholic church.

Church officials said the victim would be paid $125,000.

The man said he was molested at the age of 14 by two men, the Rev. George Stallings Jr., then at St. Teresa of Avila Church in Washington, and a seminarian.

Stallings left the church in 1989 and was excommunicated the next year. He founded the Imani Temple, which blends Roman Catholic and African practices, and married in 2001 in a ceremony presided over the the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

The victim, George Awad, said he was first molested by the seminarian in 1984 and then, when he reported the abuse to Stallings, by the priest.

The Post reported soon after Stallings left the church that former altar boys said he had molested them and that his former pastoral assistant, who was in his early 20s, said he had had a two-year sexual relationship with him. Stallings denied any molestation.