Woman sues Canadian diocese for sexual abuse

A woman is suing the Yarmouth diocese in Canada's Nova Scotia province for 10 years of sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of a priest.

WASHINGTON, January 7, 2010 (AFP) - A woman is suing the Yarmouth diocese in Canada's Nova Scotia province for 10 years of sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of a priest in Shellburne in the 1970s, Canadian media said Wednesday.

Linda Deschamps said when she was 12 years old she was hired by Roman Catholic priest Raoul Deveau for domestic work in exchange for food and a small wage for her needy family.

She alleges Deveau threatened to cut off her food if she did not give in to his sexual advances, adding that she remained in the priest's service for 10 years and even moved in with him and called him "uncle."

Her lawsuit targets the Yarmouth diocese and Halifax Archbishop Anthony Mancini, alleging they did nothing to stop the "incorrect relation."

Father Deveau died in the 1980s.

Mancini's office declined to comment on the case.

This is the second time a sexual scandal has hit the Catholic church in Nova Scotia. In September, former Antigonish diocese Bishop Raymond Lahey was indicted for possessing child pornography on his personal computer.