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	St Vincent Bars Priest Professor He Disputes Discovery of Porn on Computer He Disputes Discovery of Porn on Computer By Ann Rodgers Pittsburgh Post-Gazette December 4, 2009 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09338/1018368-298.stm LATROBE--The Rev. Mark Gruber, a high-profile Catholic priest and professor at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, was removed from ministry and barred from campus after pornography was found on his computer this summer. His attorney says the photos of young nude men were from a computer virus. State police called to investigate suspected child sexual abuse found no evidence that the pictures were of minors. They also concluded that other people used the computer. Archabbot Douglas Nowicki has sent the case to Rome for a final verdict on his status as a priest. His attorney says Father Gruber may sue if he isn't restored as a priest and professor. "The last thing Father Gruber wanted to do is take this matter into civil courts, which we haven't done yet. We're really trying to work this out" said his attorney, Sharon Smith of Mt. Lebanon. "My client has been damaged severely by them labeling him a pedophile, when the police said there was no crime, no child porn." St. Vincent officials stand by their decisions. "The college remains confident the actions taken by its representatives were appropriate," said spokesman Don Orlando. Father Gruber, 53, a West Mifflin native and Benedictine monk, teaches anthropology and is an authority on the Coptic Christians of Egypt. He is a popular retreat leader throughout the U.S. and Canada, known for his theological orthodoxy. "He's very upset," Ms. Smith said. "This is overwhelming and very stressful. He's not doing well physically or emotionally. This has taken everything he's worked for and destroyed it." Father Gruber lives in the monastery adjacent to the college, but is forbidden to enter the campus or have contact with students. Archabbot Nowicki and Bishop Lawrence Brandt of the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg have revoked his faculties, meaning he can't perform priestly duties, Mr Orlando said. The case began with an e-mail, sent in the middle of a July night to some St. Vincent faculty, criticizing the college administration. It was sent in the name of another faculty member, who later said he had nothing to do with it and asked for an investigation. College technicians said it originated from campus and that Father Gruber's was one of two computers active at the time. A search of his computer log turned up several pornography sites, according to a state police report. Mr. Orlando said Father Gruber used his own user name and password to access the sites. The college technician also reported that software had been installed to erase the trail of Web visits, he said. State police were called due to the suspicion of child pornography. On July 24 state police interviewed Father Gruber. Asked whether he had used his computer to view child pornography, "Gruber did not answer the question directly and instead stated, 'I would be surprised to know that Web sites contained child pornography,' " the police report said. Asked whether he had used the computer system to look at young boys, he replied, "I don't think that is a relevant question," the report said. The police report said the desktop computer was in "a common area attached to his office." The investigator found it running and open to Father Gruber's unprotected account. Police analysis found photos and visits to Web sites with "images, videos and links to young nude men, but none that could be identified as under the age of 18," the report said. Investigators also concluded that Father Gruber wasn't the sole user, that others apparently had e-mail accounts on his computer. According to the report, District Attorney John Peck supported the police decision to close the case because there was no evidence of child pornography. The state police declined a request from the college to discover who had viewed pornography and who owned the other e-mail accounts because "neither of those acts was a crime," the report said. Father Gruber was removed from ministry -- pending a final decision from the Vatican -- because "the church holds its educators of young people to a higher standard," Mr. Orlando said. Ms. Smith blames a virus for the pornography. That, she said, should worry any employee. "People think this is about the concerns of the church. But if anyone uses a computer at work and something like this happens, an employer could get rid of anybody." She said Father Gruber couldn't have installed software to cover his tracks because he wasn't a system administrator. "My client never put anything on the computer," she said. Mr. Orlando said that anti-viral software "showed no evidence of any virus or malware." He disputed the police report's description that the computer was in a "large open room" that was a "common area." According to Mr. Orlando, it's a reception area for an inner office "but I wouldn't describe it as a public place. It has a door to the hallway that only he would have access to." No announcement of Father Gruber's status was made to the students in September because he was supposed to be on sabbatical and had no classes. Mr. Orlando said college President James Towey would make a statement to the campus this week. The case erupted amid broader unease on the campus, where some faculty and students have criticized what they regard as a lack of collegiality and an increased emphasis on Catholic identity in Mr. Towey's administration. Father Gruber, despite his own conservative theology, was among his most public critics. Some online accounts of the case have suggested that led to his removal. Mr. Towey announced last month that he would resign this spring. The American Association of University Professors wrote to the college on Father Gruber's behalf, saying he was denied due process when disciplinary action was taken against him. The university responded that the archabbot has the right to remove monks without a hearing. "To the extent that this is true, we are not in a position to take issue with the administration's view of the matter. But there are other questions that could be raised about why the college is pursuing Father Gruber," said Robert Kreiser, senior program officer for the association. The association is waiting to see how Father Gruber's civil lawyer fares with the college administration and how his case proceeds in Rome, he said. Ann Rodgers can be reached at E-mail: arodgers@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1416.
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