OHIO
BishopAccountability.org
Summary of Case: John B. Berning was ordained for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 1934. He assisted at parishes in Cincinnati, Hamilton, Middletown and Dayton, then led parishes in Mechanicsburg, North Lewisburg, Lebanon and Waynesville. He retired in 1970 and relocated to St. Petersburg FL.
In 2003 a man filed suit, claiming Berning sexually abused him as a boy from 1957 to 1965, while the priest was pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Sedamsville. Five more men subsquently sued, claiming abuse by Berning at two different parishes in the 1950s and 1960s. Berning admitted to archdiocesan officials that he had abused children during his priesthood. He died in FL at age 97 on November 19, 2004.
Born: July 26, 1907
Ordained: 1934
Retired: 1970
Died: November 19, 2004
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