Episcopal priest arrested for sexual misconduct
A retired Episcopal priest was arrested on Friday as a result of an investigation by PA State Police into charges that he had unlawful sexual contact with a minor while the priest was still an active clergyman. Ralph Johnson was charged with more than 45 counts ranging from felony to misdemeanor charges.
The particular tragedy here is that earlier concerns that there were problems were dismissed, at least initially, by those charged within the church to investigate.
"Johnson was arraigned before District Judge Suzanne Brainard in Clifford and sent to Susquehanna County Jail on $50,000 bail.In May 2006, Johnson, then 79, voluntarily renounced his ministerial orders at St. Paul's after accusations surfaced of sexual misconduct. Johnson, who was rector of the church in the 1970s, left without admitting guilt after the alleged victim filed an affidavit with the diocese, according to reports published in this paper in 2007.
[...]The Rev. David G. Bollinger, rector of the church from 1985 to 2005, said he alerted diocesan officials in Syracuse after receiving complaints of Johnson's alleged misconduct, but Bishop Gladstone B. Adams rebuffed him."
Read the full article here.
Dear Mr. Knisely:
Don't you think you are being a bit premature? What if Ralph Johnson is actually innocent?
Legal history is full of cases where such allegations have been made, destroyed a man's reputation, and the accused has later been exonerated.
How would you feel if I were to accuse you of such things?
Outraged? Helpless?
It is bad enough for "the press" to convict a man before he is tried.
Should I not expect a greater sense of justice in a church-oriented Web site?
Posted by WmCobbett![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/nav-commenters.gif)
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February 9, 2010 10:07 AM