Priest accused of raping teens decades ago

Charged with bring Albany kids to Boston

News Channel 13, Albany NY/July 24, 2006
By Bill Lambdin

A Franciscan priest who spent many years in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany is being charged with rape.

Rev. Frank Genevive was arraigned Monday in Boston.

The crime the Franciscan father is accused of committing began 28 years ago. Usually that would be well beyond the statute of limitations, meaning it could not be prosecuted. But since Genevive allegedly took Albany-area boys across state lines to Boston and then came back to New York the Massachusetts limit for prosecution was not exhausted.

Genevive taught at Troy's LaSalle Institute in the late 1980s and disappeared suddenly. He also carried out various other duties within the Albany Diocese, although a diocese spokesman says as a Franciscan he was not under direct diocese control.

His last known posting is downstate New York in Wappinger's Falls.

During his time at St. Anthony of Padua Church in downtown Troy, allegedly starting in 1978 and continuing for about four years, Genevive is accused of taking Mark Lyman and another teenager at the time to Boston where he attacked them.

“The abuse included photographs, videotaping. The abuse was extensive,” Lyman said.

Genevive was arraigned at a Suffolk County, Massachusetts court on four charges of child rape.

The charges are considered validation by Lyman and his attorney, John Aretakis, who have been suing and demonstrating against the Catholic leadership for several years now without much success. They believe Genevive victimized at least four other boys from the Albany Diocese. No criminal charges have been brought involving them.

“But we still want to make sure that we're saying that this is a happy day. This is a good day for clergy abuse victims,” Aretakis said.

Lyman suspects the photos and videotapes he says Genevive took at the time still exist and would support his accusation.

Genevive's trial on the rape charges is at least a year away.