22 new Cleveland Catholic Diocese clergy members implicated in child sex abuse scandal
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The Cleveland Catholic Diocese has identified a new set of clerics who were implicated in the church’s turbulent child sex abuse scandal, which spans several decades.
“The new names were added after the diocese concluded, based on the evidence available to it, that the allegations were more likely than not to be true. In compiling this updated information, the diocese reviewed all known allegations regardless of how old the allegations were or whether the cleric was alive or deceased,” Cleveland Catholic Diocese Deacon Jim Armstrong said in a prepared statement.
Church officials elaborated on their guidelines when determining which names would be released:
Substantiated Allegation: An allegation that has been determined to be more likely true than not true. An allegation may be considered substantiated for purposes of the initial list below if one or more of the following is true:
- The cleric has admitted to sexually abusing a child.
- The cleric has been found guilty of sexually abusing a child in a criminal court of law.
- In the case of a cleric who is alive and in ministry at the time an allegation is made, it has been determined by appropriate canonical process that the allegation is true.
- In the case of a cleric who is deceased or no longer in active ministry at the time an allegation is made, a determination is made by the diocese, after reviewing all available evidence, that the allegation is more likely than not to be true.
Cleveland Catholic Diocese officials also admitted the list could be incomplete.
The newly released names include:
Jerome Bals (Deacon)
Ordained: July 22, 1973
Current Status: Permanently removed from ministry
Daniel McBride
Ordained: April 28, 1951
Current Status: Deceased
Kenneth Bogucki
Ordained: June 9, 1984
Current Status: Removed from clerical state
Nicholas Monaghan
Ordained: December 21, 1907
Current Status: Deceased
John Mueller
Ordained: May 23, 1959
Current Status: Deceased
John Ciolek
Ordained: April 2, 1938
Current Status: Deceased
John Connor
Ordained: May 23, 1959
Current Status: Deceased
Donald Rooney
Ordained: June 9, 1979
Current Status: Deceased
Joseph Ehrbar
Ordained: May 26, 1945
Current Status: Deceased
Joseph Seminatore
Ordained: May 31, 1969
Current Status: Permanently removed from ministry
Julius Slapsak
Ordained: June 29, 1925
Current Status: Deceased
James Viall
Ordained: December 18, 1954
Current Status: Deceased
John Jacoby
Ordained: February 28, 1953
Current Status: Deceased
John Vovko
Ordained: May 25, 1968
Current Status: Deceased
Edward Kickel
Ordained: April 17, 1922
Current Status: Deceased
Liam Kitt
Ordained: June 19, 1943
Current Status: Deceased
Carl Wernet
Ordained: May 21, 1932
Current Status: Deceased
Frank Klamet
Ordained: June 10, 1978
Current Status: Deceased
Joseph Williams
Ordained: May 31, 1969
Current Status: Permanently removed from ministry
John Wittreich
Ordained: May 31, 1947
Current Status: Deceased
James McGonegal
Ordained: May 29, 1971
Current Status: Administrative leave pending decision of the Holy See regarding removal from clerical state
Anthony Schuerger
Ordained: June 11, 1977
Current Status: Administrative leave pending further investigation of the allegation by the diocesan Review Board
Refer to the Cleveland Catholic Diocese website for more details.
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