PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Roman Catholic Diocese has removed several priests from church duty after what it called credible allegations of child sexual abuse were made.
The Rev. Ronald Lengwin, a Diocese spokesman, would not say when or how many priests were removed. He said the incidents were not widespread.
"The most important thing we want to do is assure all our parishioners that there is not a priest in parish ministry against whom a credible allegation of sexual misconduct has been made," he said.
The diocese has 354 active priests in 215 parishes serving 750,000 Roman Catholics in six southwestern Pennsylvania counties.
A review of the 350 priests and 110 retired priests in Pittsburgh was prompted by a scandal at the Archdiocese of Boston, where officials did not report a priest who was known to be a sexual predator of young boys. Church leaders in Boston have given prosecutors the names of 80 priests suspected of molesting children during the past 40 years.
At least 58 priests in Pennsylvania have faced credible accusations of abuse over the past several decades, according to officials in five of the state's eight dioceses.
When reviewing priests, Pittsburgh diocesan officials looked at claims that were considered to be credible, even if they were not substantiated by investigation. In the past, the church wouldn't take action unless an accusation could be proven.
"We're concerned about the well-being and safety of children," Lengwin said. "At the same time, we need to be concerned about the good name and reputation of our priests."
The diocese's stance of taking action without naming names or fully investigating all cases met with mixed reaction around the city.
"No one can understand what it's like to be molested by a Catholic priest," said a man who was abused as a 12-year-old. He later sued the diocese and eventually settled the case.
"This is the bishop of the city of Pittsburgh (Donald Wuerl) coming off his throne, so to speak, saying, 'You can't do these things in my diocese.' You've got to commend him. I commend him, and that's hard for me to say."
Others think more disclosure is necessary.
"They teach you to be truthful, so they should be truthful," said Dennis Kumf of Port Vue. "They should say who they are."
"If you can't prove these gentlemen did this, you can't just fire them or remove them," said Gregory Dennison of Wilkinsburg. "You've got to come up with some sound evidence."
The priests who were removed will effectively be cloistered -- barred from taking part in any celebrations, such as Mass. They will still be given room-and-board from the church, Lengwin said.
Diocesan policy would allow the priests to take assignments that do not involve children, if they agree to a psychological evaluation and a review by church officials.
None of the priests has been the subject of a lawsuit or a criminal complaint. A spokesman for District Attorney Stephen Zappala had no comment when asked if his office would pursue a criminal investigation.
Related Links: Diocese Of Pittsburgh The VaticanPrevious Stories: Copyright 2008 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
