Associate Pastor at Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis Accused of Fondling Teen Girl

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
June 29, 2012

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/associate-pastor-at-cathedral-basilica-of-st-louis-accused-of/article_3732c476-c17a-11e1-8246-001a4bcf6878.html

The associate pastor at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis is accused of fondling a teenage girl in Lincoln County.

The Rev. Xiuhui “Joseph” Jiang, 29, was charged Thursday with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. He is accused of repeated sexual contact with a girl under 17, according to court documents.

The girl told police he fondled her on four different occasions this year. She said that Jiang was her priest and a family friend. The incidents happened in Old Monroe, Mo., according to police, who began their investigation Saturday.

Jiang was placed on administrative leave after officials learned about the allegations, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

None of the conduct is alleged to have occurred on any archdiocesan property, the statement said. The archdiocese would not comment beyond the written statement, a spokeswoman said.

According to a story about Jiang that appeared in the St. Louis Review, he was ordained in May 2010 and was assigned at that time to the Cathedral in the Central West End.

Jiang is from Shandong, China, and earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Holy Sprit College Seminary in Ji Nan, China.

Bail has been set at $25,000 cash. His attorney, Paul D. A'Grosa, could not be reached for comment.