Lawsuit Alleges Catholic Principal Was Fired for Reporting Abuse

September 18, 2020

A new lawsuit alleges that a Catholic school principal lost his job after reporting inappropriate behavior by a local priest. We applaud this principal for doing the right thing and hope that he is able to have his day in court.

The lawsuit, filed by former Parkersburg Catholic High School Principal John Golebiewski against the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, alleges that Golebiewski was retaliated against by officials from the Diocese for reporting abuse. This is a disturbing allegation and we believe it warrants investigation and intervention by West Virginia’s attorney general. If it is true that Catholic officials are willing to remove staff who report abuse, we fear for the safety of children and the vulnerable throughout the Diocese.

We hope that this story encourages other witnesses and whistleblowers to come forward to police and prosecutors and share what they know about cases of abuse and cover-up within the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. For communities to be safe, the truth must be told and heard.

CONTACT: Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Director ([email protected], 636-433-2511), Zach Hiner, SNAP 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)

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Showing 2 comments

True Catholic commented 2020-09-21 06:51:59 -0500
In 2016 a Deacon in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati met with Archbishop Dennis Schnurr concerning allegations of violations to the Decree on Child Protection involving a priest of the Archdiocese. He subsequently received a letter from the Archbishop informing him that his faculties as a Deacon would be removed if he continued to be involved with the situation. The now “former” priest was removed on “Medical Leave”, was criminally investigated and was scheduled for a Canon Law trial to forcibly remove him from the priesthood. It is stated that he asked Pope Francis to be laicized and Pope Francis accepted his request. He just disappeared off the active priest roster, no explanation to the parishioners of the Diocese or notice to the communities. As I have stated many times, the corruption appears to go to the highest levels of the Church. The Catholic Church refuses to meet with the parents of the victims. The truth in this situation WILL be told and heard and it WILL validate the corruption. In this situation, as in many cases, it also appears as though the corruption is not limited solely within the Church.
Zach Hiner published this page in Official SNAP Media Statements 2020-09-18 16:25:49 -0500

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