Correction, posted Aug. 21, 2018: This story has been updated to correct the misidentification of the Rev. John A. Geinzer. Father Geinzer was not present at the Mass Sunday. A quote in the previous version of the story was incorrectly attributed to him, and should have been attributed to the Rev. Don Buchleitner.
The Catholic priesthood is a call to duty, said Auxiliary Bishop William J. Waltersheid from the pulpit at Little Sisters of the Poor chapel in Brighton Heights, in a society often riddled with “darkness and sin.”
In his homily delivered at Sunday’s Mass, the auxiliary bishop used a story about devotion under fire by a World War I chaplain to comment about last week’s grand jury report that named 301 Pennsylvania priests alleged to have committed child sex abuse in the last 70 years. Auxiliary Bishop Waltersheid conducted the Mass in place of the Rev. John A. Geinzer, the chaplain at Little Sisters and one of two priests named by the grand jury who are still serving in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Near the end of the service the auxiliary bishop read an open letter from Pittsburgh Bishop David A. Zubik to congregants of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, in which he apologized in the name of the church to the victims of abuse and their families and said, “We cannot minimize the harm done.”
Father Geinzer was not present.
Auxiliary Bishop Waltersheid was unavailable to talk due to a prior commitment.
The grand jury report accused Father Geinzer of “inappropriately touching a 13-year-old boy in 1980” and “exhibiting an unnatural interest in young boys.”
In 1980, Father Geinzer finished his second stint at the Diocese of Pittsburgh Pastoral Center and served at Mount St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. Since 2011 he has headed the chapel located inside the Saints Peter and Paul Home, an assisted living center maintained by the Little Sisters of the Poor, an international congregation of Roman Catholic women.
Sister Mary Vincent Mannion, facility administrator and Mother Superior of the religious community, said she noticed no decline in the Mass’s attendance — about 100 people — most of whom were residents of the assisted living center and their families. Father Geinzer, she said, is “a holy priest who is well liked.”
“He’s a good and honorable man, I think we all feel that way,” she said, on the sidewalk outside the building. “This grand jury report is an accusation ... and until there’s evidence that would make it a fact we’re treating it as an unsubstantiated allegation.”
The release of the report is difficult for the church and its supporters, she said, “but in the end it will be a good thing because the church will come out clean and will be respected for having better oversight” of its clerics.
The only child at the service was Matthew Armstrong, 7, of Ross, who accompanied his grandmother Beth Armstrong as she carried the sacraments to the altar. Ms. Armstrong said they attend Little Sisters of the Poor to be with her mother, who lives at the facility. She said she has no worries about bringing Matthew to Father Geinzer’s chapel despite the release of the grand jury report.
“This is very awkward for all of us and uncomfortable, but it isn’t challenging our faith,” said Ms. Armstrong. “The people who are having the worst problems are always the ones who need the church the most. That hasn’t changed.”
Without naming the priests included in the report who are still serving — Father Geinzer and the Rev. John M. Bauer of St. Hugh Catholic Church and Our Lady of Consolation in Carmichaels — Bishop Zubik appeared to support them in his letter to the diocese read by the auxiliary bishop.
“There is no priest or deacon in the ministry today against whom there has been a substantiated allegation of child sexual abuse,” the letter stated. “If … a complaint has been deemed to be unsubstantiated, that priest may remain in the ministry. … On a practical level, every institution -- religious or otherwise -- must confront this offense. In sharing all of this information with you, I do so to reassure you that we work hard to create environments where your children can be safe. Any effort to protect children is most effective when we work together.”
By John Hayes: 412-263-1991, jhayes@post-gazette.com.
Here is the text of a letter that Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik released on Friday and was printed on this week’s church bulletins:
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
The Church is the Body of Christ. We are called to be His face, His hands, His heart. Today, we are all wounded in some way by the heartbreaking accounts in the grand jury report. I understand your shock upon learning about what victims have suffered at the hands of men who were ordained to be the image of Christ. We cannot minimize the harm done.
As I mentioned in my last letter to you, throughout my ministry as a bishop I have often met with victims of child sexual abuse by clergy to offer my sincere apology in the name of the Church. And so today, to those who have suffered abuse, to the families who have shared their pain, I again sincerely apologize for the harm that you have suffered.
We cannot bury our heads in the sand. There were instances in the past, as outlined in the grand jury report, when the Church acted in ways that did not respond effectively to victims. Swift and firm responses to allegations should have started long before they did. For that I also express profound regret. At the same time, I express gratitude to survivors who have taught us to respond with compassion to those who are wounded and with determination to remove offenders from ministry.
But sorrow and apology are not enough without action. The Diocese of Pittsburgh has a long history of reaching out to victims with compassion, to help them recover.
Over the course of the last 30 years, we have made significant improvements to how we respond to and prevent abuse and report allegations. And those changes have made a great difference. The Diocese of Pittsburgh today is not the Church described in the grand jury report.
Of all of the acts of child sexual abuse that have been alleged against clergy of this diocese since 1940, 90 percent occurred prior to 1990. We still receive allegations, but nearly all of them concern abuse that took place in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
There is no priest or deacon in ministry today against whom there has been a substantiated allegation of child sexual abuse. Every allegation, no matter how old it is or whether it appears credible, is quickly turned over to the appropriate district attorney. In addition, we strive to let you, our faithful and the public, know what is happening. When I have had to remove a cleric due to an allegation of child sexual abuse, I have written letters to be read from the pulpit of their parishes and have also issued news releases.
If, however, a complaint has been deemed to be unsubstantiated, that priest may remain in ministry.
Furthermore, the vetting and formation of future priests has continually improved over the past 40 years. Those who appear unable to commit to a healthy celibate lifestyle are not ordained for the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Also, since 1989 the diocese has engaged an Independent Review Board, consisting of prosecutors, psychotherapists, attorneys and parents of abuse victims, to advise me on whether an allegation is substantiated and whether an accused priest or deacon is suitable for ministry.
When you walk into your church, you see posters telling you how to report child sexual abuse and booklets explaining how we respond to clergy sexual misconduct. If you have ever sought to volunteer in your parish or school, you know about the background checks that we require and the class you have to take on the prevention of child sexual abuse. These are also required of all clergy and employees of the diocese and our parishes. In addition, our Code of Pastoral Conduct mandates practical measures to prevent child sexual abuse by clergy, employees and volunteers.
The report of the grand jury covers a span of nearly 70 years. Today, however, we must focus on our need to remain vigilant in our efforts to protect children.
Here are some of our next steps:
• We have engaged an expert with extensive experience as a state prosecutor and federal official specializing in crimes against children. He will review our policies and practices related to child protection and make recommendations for improvement.
• We have created a position and are hiring an experienced professional to actively monitor clergy who have been removed from ministry following allegations of child sexual abuse.
• As I announced previously, we have posted on our website a list of diocesan clergy against whom an allegation was made that has been substantiated by the diocese or included in the grand jury report.
We are all in this together. Sadly, child sexual abuse occurs in every institution, even in the family. On a practical level, every institution — religious or otherwise — must confront this offense. In sharing all of this information with you, I do so to reassure you that we work hard to create environments where your children can be safe. Any effort to protect children is most effective when we work together.
Finally, I ask all of you to pray. Pray for the victims who have suffered this harm. Pray for your priests and deacons, who serve so faithfully, and who feel that this report undermines their ministry. Pray for the Church, that we will be purified by this trial and that I, and all of our leaders, will be ever more faithful servants of Jesus.
Grateful for our belief that “Nothing is Impossible with God,” I am,
Your Brother in Christ,
Most Reverend David A. Zubik
Bishop of Pittsburgh
First Published: August 19, 2018, 9:34 p.m.
Updated: August 21, 2018, 5:33 p.m.
