The allegations against the Rev. Paul Shanley span from 1979 to 1989, when he was at St. Jean's parish in Newton, a suburb of Boston. The indictment, the first against the retired priest, includes 10 counts of child rape and six counts of indecent assault and battery.

"In an ideal world we would not have sexual abuse of children. In a better world, adults would protect children," prosecutor Martha Coakley said.

Prosecutors said Shanley would take one of the boys, who is now 24, out of religious classes and abuse him in the rectory, the bathroom of the church and a confessional.

Shanley, 71, has been jailed since May when he was arrested and returned from California to face three counts of child rape, which were included in Thursday's indictment. He has pleaded innocent to those charges and was being held on $300,000 bail.

"These latest revelations will undoubtedly open up the deep and painful wounds of those who have been abused in the past," Cardinal Bernard Law said in a statement.

Law said the archdiocese owes "a debt of profound gratitude to abused persons who bring such acts into the light."

"My sorrow is compounded whenever such acts involve the betrayal of trust by a priest, For this I apologize from the bottom of my heart," Law said.

Shanley's lawyer, Frank Mondano, said the indictments came as no surprise. He had not seen them as of Thursday evening, but said his client would fight the charges.

Prosecutors have refused to identify any of the victims. But a source close to the case has told The Associated Press that the initial charges stem from allegations made by Paul Busa, a former Air Force security officer in Colorado.

Attorney Roderick MacLeish, who represents all four of the alleged victims included in the indictment, said three of them knew each other from the same catechism class at St. Jean's, but that the fourth "has had no connection (with), and in fact, does not know the other three."

MacLeish said he is aware of two more alleged victims of Shanley -- one who cannot bring criminal charges because the statue of limitations has expired, and another whose allegations could result in additional charges against Shanley.

"As Attorney General (Thomas) Reilly said yesterday, were it not for the statute of limitations in Massachusetts for child rape, there would be many many more prosecutions," MacLeish said.

Rodney Ford, the father of alleged Shanley victim Gregory Ford, 24, said the indictment is a double-edged sword.

"You hate to say that you're happy because it's never a happy day when you talk about your own child being abused and raped and molested," he said. "But I'm glad that at some point there can be some resolution to this case."

The Fords, who have sued Cardinal Law for failing to protect Gregory from Shanley, who Ford alleges repeatedly raped him when he was a boy.

Law has said in a letter distributed to parishes in May that he did not become aware until 1993 of sexual abuse allegations against Shanley.

In a related development, California authorities were investigating allegations Thursday by a California man who said he was sexually abused by Shanley.

The investigation came after San Bernardino Diocese officials met with the man and forwarded the allegations to law enforcement.

"We are trying to determine the credibility of the allegation and whether or not there is a victim," sheriff's spokeswoman Robin Haynal said.

Diocese spokesman the Rev. Howard Lincoln said the man alleges he was assaulted by Shanley 12 years ago in Big Bear, San Diego and Palm Springs, where Shanley co-owned a hotel catering to gay clientele. The specifics the allegations were not made public.

The allegation is the only one brought against Shanley in California.