Defrocked Pennsylvania Priest Went on to Abuse Again in Oregon
A priest, ousted for reportedly molesting a Pennsylvania boy, later repeatedly molested a young Oregon man according to a lengthy new investigation by the Associated Press. We call on law enforcement officials to use every possible method to prod anyone with information or suspicions about this abuser’s crimes to come forward. And we call on Catholic officials – especially in dioceses and states where he lived or worked (Greensburg PA, Pittsburgh PA, Topeka KS, Kansas City KS, Massachusetts, California, Virginia, Kentucky and Florida) - to do more to warn the public about him.
In 2002, Fr. Roger Sinclair was removed by the Greensburg diocese for allegedly abusing a teenager decades earlier. In 2017, he was arrested in Oregon for abusing young developmentally disabled Oregon man and “is now imprisoned for a crime that the lead investigator in the case says should have never been allowed to happen,” the AP reports.
“Like Sinclair, the majority of people listed as credibly accused (abusive clerics) were never criminally prosecuted for the abuse alleged when they were part of the church,” the AP reports. “That lack of criminal history has revealed a sizable gray area that state licensing boards and background check services are not designed to handle as former priests seek new employment, apply to be foster parents and live in communities unaware of their presence and their pasts.”
CONTACT: Zach Hiner, Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)