Andover Priest Denies Sexual Assault Accusations

ANDOVER, MA — The priest at an Andover parish accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy 28 years ago denied the allegations in a letter to parishioners. The Rev. Peter Gori had been pastor at St. Augustine Parish since 2009, and had also been assigned there between 1988 and 1993. The Archdiocese of Boston placed Gori on administrative leave this week after were made.

"I received a phone call from our Augustinian Provincial informing me that an allegation has been made against me concerning the sexual abuse of a minor from 30 years ago," Gori wrote. "I assure you, as I assured the Provincial, that the accusation is false."

The Archdiocese said it had "immediately informed" law enforcement once it learned about the allegations.

"The Archdiocese of Boston is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of children and young people in our parishes and institutions," the Archdiocese said in a statement. "Through its Office of Pastoral Support and Outreach, the Archdiocese continues to make counseling and other services available to survivors, their families and parishes impacted by clergy sexual abuse and by allegations of abuse by members of the clergy."

Mitchell Garabedian, a lawyer for Gori’s alleged victim, released a statement and said his client was 10 when he was abused by Goril. He said his client was also abused by another priest between 1987 and 1990, when he was between the ages of 8 and 10.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).