Woman Sues Catholic Priest Who Seduced Her

October 30, 2008

Reverend Elvis Elano, a priest formerly posted at Our Lady of the Snows in the Queens, is having a very trying day. After his secret seven-month affair with parishioner Judith Rodrigues-Lytwyn ended earlier this month, his ex has gone public with a lawsuit in Brooklyn Supreme Court, and The Smoking Gun has obtained a cachet of embarrassing photos, emails and documents, like the receipt for his online Viagra purchase.

Rodrigues-Lytwyn, age 50, says in a court statement that, "I was looking for some spiritual guidance, and finding some peace from a religious perspective." Instead, she contends that Reverend Elano abused his position and seduced her as she went through a traumatic divorce. She was in the confession booth last March when he allegedly told her, "Your presence struck me like a thunder bolt." Later, he assured her their relationship was "ordained by God."

Their affair ended when Rodrigues-Lytwyn got her "head on straight" and "realized that he preyed upon me." Another factor in the break-up, apparently, was Elano's confession that he picked up a painful rash on his genitals from another woman. In an email to Rodrigues-Lytwyn (now on The Smoking Gun), Elano writes,"The other Friday, I tried to look for a doctor who does not know me. It is because of the rash on my thing. It is spreading out. Now I even have on my legs. They are like spots but painful. I don't know what it is..." Rodrigues-Lytwyn is seeking $25 million from the Diocese of Brooklyn, which governs Our Lady of the Snows.

MY RESPONSE:
I like this article because it reminds us that no one is perfect, & even the people who swear to be sinless, sometimes commit sins. No one can be a hundred percent one thing, no matter what the thing is. The authour writes what the sin is, who claimed that it happened, & then goes into detail about it, ending the article with quotes by the sinner himself. Others should read this article because stories of other people can sometimes make the reader question about the way things are. Why would someone do that? How did they handle it? Who else has done this before?