MAINE, USA — A Maine man who sued the Jesuit order over childhood sexual abuse is now speaking out about a recent legal settlement—and his hope that it brings public change.

Neal Gumpel, who now lives in Maine, says he was sexually assaulted at age 16 by Father Roy Drake, a priest with the New York Province of the Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits. The abuse occurred in the 1970s while Gumpel was visiting the Maine Maritime Academy, where his brother was a student. Father Drake, a teacher at the time, offered Gumpel a place to stay. That night, Gumpel said, Drake restrained and assaulted him.

"That individual, that nice 16-year-old kid, who was sweet, played music and was very well liked by people...didn’t come home," Gumpel said, reflecting on his younger self.

After year

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