SCRANTON (PA)
Fox 56 WOLF-TV [Hazelton, PA]
July 30, 2024
By Emily Cherkauskas
A priest of the Diocese of Scranton has been found guilty under canon law of the sexual abuse of two minors.
According to a media release from the Diocese of Scranton, Monsignor Joseph P. Kelly was found guilty at the conclusion of a disciplinary process.
By Oct. 2020, seven individuals alleged that Kelley sexually abused them as children. Another allegation was received in Jan. 2023, according to the Diocese of Scranton. Five of the eight allegations were deemed credible and were investigated as required by the Code of Canon Law of the Catholic Church.
Bishop Joseph C. Bambera was authorized to adjudicate the accusations through trial processes. At the end of the trial, Kelly was found guilty under canon law of two of the accusations.
As a result, Kelly was immediately and permanently prohibited from the exercise of priestly ministry and permanently prohibited from wearing clerical attire or presenting himself as a priest. The permanent penalty was short of a dismissal from the clerical state given his “advanced age,” according to the Diocese of Scranton.
“As Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton, I continue to apologize for the pain that has been inflicted upon far too many young people by leaders of our Church,” Bishop Bambera said in a statement. “We must never forget or allow time to numb us to the pain that was so willfully inflicted upon innocent lives. I thank the victims in this case for stepping forward and continue to pray daily for their healing.”
Kelly did not appeal Bambera’s permanent penalty.