WATERLOO - The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque now faces its 10th outstanding clergy sex abuse lawsuit.

Attorneys for a Waterloo law firm filed the suit in Dubuque County District Court on behalf of an anonymous male plaintiff, "John Doe II," alleging he was abused by a now-deceased priest, the Rev. Albert Carman, in 1954.

Carman's last parish assignment was at Immaculate Conception Church in Clutier. He was a longtime faculty member at Loras College in Dubuque. At the time of the abuse, he was on staff at Loras Academy, a boys boarding school later merged with all-girls Clarke Academy to form Wahlert High School. He died in 1980.

Carman was chaplain for the boys who boarded at Loras Academy at the time of the alleged abuse according to the suit, filed by Waterloo attorneys Chad Swanson and Tom Staack.

The suit says Carman summoned the alleged victim/plaintiff to his residence and "sexually abused plaintiff by causing his pants to be taken down and by touching and blessing plaintiffs genitals with a crucifix."

School officials investigated sexual abuse allegations against Carman in 1957, the suit says, alleging "the archdiocese either knew, or should have known, of Carman's propensity to and intention to sexually assault young men" and "either intentionally or negligently failed to take action against Carman."

The suit seeks unspecified actual and punitive damages.

Archdiocesan officials contacted Thursday said they had not yet seen a copy of the suit.

Officials with the Northeast Iowa Chapter of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests called once again for the archdiocese to make public the names of all clergy against whom credible sexual abuse allegations have been made. The archdiocese has offered help for victims and released those alleged abusers' names as active priests have been removed from duties or as civil actions have been filed against inactive ones.

Dubuque Archbishop Jerome Hanus has said the archdiocese has seven abuse cases pending before the Vatican for possible action, up to and including defrocking of accused priests, but has declined to name them until final action is taken.

Nine of the 10 abuse suits outstanding against the archdiocese have been filed by Swanson and Staack. Several include current and former Waterloo-Cedar Falls residents and priests. Some are multiple victims of the same priest. All the alleged incidents occurred from the early 1950s through the early 1980s and the statute of limitations for their criminal prosecution has expired.

Contact Pat Kinney at (319) 291-1484 or Pat.Kinney@wcfcourier.com