The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has announced the following three clergy status updates.
Msgr. Joseph Logrip has been placed on administrative while being investigated for a new allegation of sexual abuse of a minor.
Father John Meyers and Father Raymond Smart have been found unsuitable for ministry based on substantiated allegations that they abused minors in the early 1980s.
The following was excerpted from the “Flock Note” sent to Philadelphia archdiocesan priests and deacons today.
“Today, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced that Reverend Monsignor Joseph L. Logrip has been placed on administrative leave and that his priestly faculties have been restricted following an allegation that he sexually abused a minor in the early 1980s. This allegation has been forwarded to law enforcement and the Archdiocese will cooperate with authorities in the course of the investigation.
The Archdiocese also announced that Reverend John F. Meyers and Reverend Raymond W. Smart previously had their priestly faculties restricted. Both have been found unsuitable for ministry based on substantiated allegations that they sexually abused minors in the early 1980s. In both of those cases, law enforcement declined to press criminal charges.
The determinations regarding their suitability for ministry were made by Archbishop Chaput following the required canonical investigations and recommendations from the Archdiocesan Professional Responsibilities Review Board.
Their cases will now be forwarded to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican in keeping with procedure for the formal canonical process.”
Click here to read today’s Philadelphia Archdiocesan Press Release.
Three priests at Prendie and two at Saint Andrew’s in Drexel Hill. Like they said in the movie Spotlight. “It could have been me” Absolutely tragic.
I was feeling very discouraged tonite and I texted my friend in NJ and asked if he had anything positive going on and he said he was in church saying the rosary and asked if I would pray the rosary at the same time with him and as soon as I got done another friend texted me about these 3 priests being removed and then I went to 7pm mass and the permanent deacon gave the homily and he said he had lost and gained his sight and had gone to Lourdes and he described his experience there and his message was in the end love wins. I am encouraging all of you to pray the rosary and Saint Michael Prayer and reminding you every time we say the rosary we win a small victory against the devil (Jesus promises “where two or more are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”) and in the end we know Jesus/Love wins. Keep up the fight!
Sp sad to near about Msg. Logrip. He was always very respectful and humble when I knew him years ago. Will be in my prayers.
pray for his victims!
I am so tired of hearing this – just heard someone say something similar about an hour ago. It is so cruel to come to a place where survivors gather to defend a criminal. You really felt the need to defend this guy here?
Most of the murderers serving sentences in prison murdered only one person. Funny how you really don’t hear people say things like, “Well, he never tried to murder me.”
There were about 30 kids in my freshman religion class. I believe I was the only one targeted in that group. So, 29 kids walked away thinking that our priest/teacher was a great guy. If I were able to file charges, his lawyer would seek them out to paint me as a liar.
i am tired of the Church and the lawyers and PR strategists they hire pitting the faithful in the pews against the survivors of abuse. They are responsible for the attitude that brings people here to defend the criminals.
Something is not adding up in the Meyers timeline. It seems impossible that an allegation was received in late 2018 and the criminal investigation, Archdiocese investigation and Review Board review were all completed just a few weeks into 2019. My hunch is he was placed on admin leave in late 2018 but the allegation was received earlier than that…I think some word play in the press release leading one to believe that the allegation was actually received in late 2018. I have an email into John Delaney, Delegate of Investigations and Ken Gavin, Communications.
Good I’m not going to tell you my name but I am going to tell you that father smart abused me when I was in Saint Gabriel’s Hall as he was the main priest there not going to get into the details but happy to hear he finally is going to get what’s coming to him and I’m going to get paid as much as I don’t care about the money anything that hurt the Catholic Church makes me feel a little bit better about what happened
Robert, Kathy and I are sorry to read that you were abused and are glad you found some peace in this.