A Gardner woman who was raped as a child by her Roman Catholic pastor yesterday filed a $2 million civil suit against Bishop Timothy J. Harrington, charging him with negligence.F

Jennifer L. Kraskouskas, now a freshman at Northeastern University, said in the suit the bishop should have known that the Rev. Robert E. Kelley was a pedophile and he had "dangerous and exploitive propensities towards children."

She said Harrington appointed Kelley pastor of Sacred Heart parish in Gardner in October 1983.

She alleges that Kelley, who is now in jail, molested and raped her numerous times in 1984 and 1985 when she was age 10 and 11. The bishop also is charged with "vicarious liability," meaning the sexual abuse occurred while Kelley was under Harrington's control as bishop.

Kraskouskas said in the suit, which was filed in Suffolk Superior Court, Boston, that the bishop failed to evaluate Kelley's "fitness to serve as a priest and pastor"; did not determine the nature of his "sexual proclivities"; and failed to provide reasonable supervision of Kelley, allowing him regular contact with children "despite his pedophilic tendencies."

As a result of the rapes and molestation, Kraskouskas said, she has suffered physical injury and emotional and psychological distress, and has incurred substantial expenses for medical care and treatment. She said she was unable to have "many of the joyous experiences of youth" and has suffered loss of her religious faith.

Kelley pleaded guilty on March 30, 1990, in Worcester Superior Court to charges of assault with intent to rape, unnatural rape of a child and indecent assault and battery on a child. He was sentenced to five to seven years in state prison.

Kelley became eligible for parole in January, but the state Parole Board deferred action pending further investigation after Kraskouskas and her family appealed to the board not to release him. Robin Bavaro, spokeswoman for the state Correction Department, said Kelley at that time was in South Middlesex Pre-release Center in Framingham. She said yesterday he has since been moved to the higher-security Southeastern Correctional Center at Bridgewater.

Kraskouskas is represented by Robert L. Rice Jr., a lawyer with the firm of Ward, Walsh and Roach of Fitchburg.

The Rev. John W. Barrett, diocesan spokesman, said he could not comment on the suit because he knows nothing about it. James G. Reardon, lawyer for the diocese, was out of town yesterday and did not immediately return a telephone call.