Review board finds abuse allegations against Queens priest viable

Child abuse allegations against Rev. Peter Mahoney, who served in Queens and Brooklyn, were found to be credible by the DRB. Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Diocese

By Rachel Vick

A part time priest in Flushing and Jamaica has been removed from service after child sex abuse allegations were found to be credible, the Brooklyn Diocese announced Monday.

An investigation by the independent Diocesan Review Board found the accusations against 86-year-old Rev. Peter Mahoney to have merit.

“It should be understood that such action by the Diocese is not to be interpreted as a judgment of the guilt of the priest,” the Diocese said in its announcement. “However, it is recognition of the possibility that wrongdoing may have taken place, and therefore, out of concern for the safety of the faithful, it was determined necessary to remove the priest from ministry.”

The allegation was called in to the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Reporting Line on October 2, 2020, regarding alleged abuse that took place between 1975 and 1978 while Mahoney was stationed at St. Martin of Tours in Brooklyn.

Mahoney, most recently stationed at Saint Anne Catholic Church and St. Nicholas of Tolentine, is not permitted to celebrate Mass publicly, cannot exercise any public ministry and cannot live in an ecclesiastical residence.

His name and the details of his service history will be added to the list of credibly accused priests.

A lawsuit was filed in April by a separate alleged victim through the Child Victims Act. As of May 31, 2021, around 21 percent of the more than 3,000 lawsuits filed statewide were against clergy who work or worked in the Brooklyn Diocese.

Mahoney previously served as chairman of the board of Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A, according to St. Charles Borromeo Church. He was honored in April 2019 by the Catholic Lawyers Guild.

Brooklyn Legal Services did not respond to request for comment. The Catholic Lawyers Guild could not be reached for comment.

Edit 9:58 a.m. 11/23: Previous version incorrectly stated Mahoney as being affiliated with "Brooklyn Legal Services" instead of "Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A."