A revered priest from the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, has been compelled to resign after an worker at a church cemetery was arrested on expenses of sexually assaulting a minor. The diocese has additionally initiated an investigation with native authorities into what they think was a conspiracy to hide the worker’s legal historical past.
Bishop Larry Kulick requested Fr. John Moineau to resign and the diocese is now collaborating with the Westmoreland County Detective Bureau in its probe into allegations of a “conspiracy to conceal the criminal background” of the implicated worker, Shon Harrity, WPXI-TV reported.
Harrity, who labored as a upkeep employee on the Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Irwin, was charged final week with eight felonies, together with the sexual assault of a minor unrelated to the church. Regardless of his troubling legal file, which incorporates expenses of indecent publicity, open lewdness and drug offenses, Harrity was employed in varied roles throughout the parishes for over a decade.
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“I am outraged that he was permitted to be employed at our parishes, and I am beyond disappointed that our tireless efforts to raise the bar on safe environment training were blatantly disregarded,” Kulick mentioned in a video message.
The Catholic Accent famous that the Diocese of Greensburg appoints a protected atmosphere coordinator at every parish, college and diocesan workplace tasked with implementing insurance policies that defend kids. This coordinator, in collaboration with the pastor, is answerable for making certain that every one staff full necessary baby abuse coaching and efficiently move three distinct legal background checks.
At Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in North Huntingdon, the place Harrity beforehand labored, the protected atmosphere coordinator compiled a file on Harrity that included an FBI Fingerprint Examine, which explicitly disqualified him from employment. This file was electronically despatched to Immaculate Conception Parish Cemetery when Harrity was transferred in 2023. Regardless of this, the coordinator at Immaculate Conception did not act on the disqualifying data, the Accent mentioned, including {that a} latest audit revealed that a number of important clearance paperwork have been absent from Harrity’s file.
Fr. Moineau had beforehand licensed the completeness and accuracy of all required clearances inside his parishes by signing a letter to the bishop confirming his private overview of those paperwork.
Fr. Moineau allegedly neglected crucial gaps within the background test course of, regardless of his longstanding fame as a neighborhood pillar.
“I personally met Father John 40 years ago … he’s just an unbelievable person, not just as a priest but as a person he would never put somebody in harm’s way, ever, if he had knowledge of it,” Dave Reese, a parishioner at Immaculate Conception, was quoted as saying.
Linda Hixson, an Irwin resident, mentioned accountability is essential. “It’s a shame he had to retire and leave, but if he knew something and didn’t report it … then I’m sorry that was wrong on his part. Stand up for your church and keep your church safe,” Hixson was quoted as saying.
The diocese has introduced speedy and sweeping adjustments to stop future oversights. These measures embrace a compulsory overview of worker and volunteer recordsdata by all monks and directors inside per week, a complete audit of clearances throughout all 78 parishes and 12 Catholic colleges scheduled for this summer time, and necessary protected atmosphere coaching for all employees.
“Well bless their hearts.”
