A man allegedly molested by a priest in the 1970s lured the clergyman to the lobby of his Jesuit retirement home in the US and beat him in front of shocked witnesses.

William Lynch (43) was arrested on Friday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon for the 10 May attack on the Rev Jerold Lindner.

Lynch had fantasised for years about confronting the priest, who also allegedly molested his younger brother.

Police said Lynch attacked the 65-year-old priest in a small room adjoining the lobby of Jesuits' Sacred Heart retirement home in Los Gatos, California. "They're saying it was pretty close to beating him to death," defence lawyer Pat Harris said. "It's sort of the ultimate revenge story."

Lynch and his younger brother claimed that Lindner abused them in 1975 during weekend camping trips. The boys, who were seven and five at the time, were raped in the woods and forced to perform sex acts on each other while Lindner watched, Harris said.

Lynch would be released on $315,600 bail and would plead not guilty at his arraignment, Harris said.