Three men are suing the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, alleging that a priest molested them as children and that the diocese covered up the abuse.
The men say they were 12 or 13 in the 1970s and 1980s when the Rev. James Grear allegedly molested them.
The Indianapolis Star reports the men's lawsuits allege the diocese knew Grear was abusing children but assigned him to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis without warning parents and others, and frequently reassigned him.
The suits name Grear, the diocese and the Carmel church as defendants.
An attorney for the diocese and the church declined to comment.
A message was left Monday seeking comment from Grear, who lives in Philadelphia and was removed from public ministry in 2001.