Priest Found “Unsuitable for Ministry” Following Accusations of Abuse
A priest who had been placed on leave in January following allegations of sexual abuse has been found “unsuitable for ministry.” We call on Catholic officials in Philadelphia to do outreach to potential victims and to publicize complete information on this cleric so that local communities will be fully aware of the allegations.
In January of 2019, Msgr. Joseph Logrip was placed on administrative leave while Church leaders in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia investigated allegations of abuse against him. But this is not the first time that Msgr. Logrip was the subject of such an investigation. He had been investigated by Catholic officials on similar accusations in 2011. Howver, the clergyman was returned to ministry in 2014. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia owes the faithful and the public an explanation as to why the earlier allegation was found to be “not credible.”
To us this situation shows how Catholic officials in Philadelphia have not taken claims of abuse seriously nor done the right thing when allegations were received, especially since they refused to disclose publicly that Msgr. Logrip had been a volunteer at the K-8 school St. Aloysius Academy for decades.
Church leaders in Philadelphia owe it to their communities to be open and honest about Msgr. Logrip. They should not only disclose his removal, but also his full work history to all parishes in their community and to the public so that parents and parishioners know to look among their own for survivors. In addition, they should turn over all information to the police and to the Attorney General, if they have not already done so.
We are grateful to Kathy Kane and Susan Matthews of Catholics 4 Change for their consistent pressure on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and for getting critical information about Msgr. Logrip into the public when Church leaders in Philadelphia refused to do so.
CONTACT: Michael McDonnell, Volunteer Philadelphia Area SNAP Leader ([email protected], 267-261-0578), 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)