Former St. Xavier High School Priest Accused of Psychological Sexual Abuse

By Katherine Barrier
WKRC
February 21, 2020

https://local12.com/news/local/former-st-xavier-high-school-priest-accused-of-psychological-sexual-abuse-cincinnati

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WKRC) - A former St. Xavier High School priest has been accused of psychological sexual abuse, according to the school.

Fr. Ed Pigott was part of the St. Xavier community from 1969 to 2018. After the school published a list of Jesuit priests, brothers and scholastics who had established allegations of sexual abuse against minors in 2018, allegations were brought against Pigott. The school said the reported abuse happened between 1992 and 1994.

After the allegations, Pigott was not allowed to have unsupervised access to students and was then removed from his duties at the school on Dec. 19, 2018.

On Friday, the school said an independent investigation shows allegations against Pigott to be established, meaning the allegations are based on facts and circumstances where "there is a reasonable certainty that the accusation is true." Pigott's name has been added to the list of Jesuits with established accusations of psychological sexual abuse against minors.

The school released a statement Friday reading, in part:

"We are committed to a culture of safety and protection for the care of all members of our community, especially our precious children, among God's greatest gifts. Our policy and practice for any accusation is to cooperate fully with law enforcement, the appropriate child protective agency, the U.S. Midwest Province and the Cincinnati Archdiocese in pursuing justice also to provide pastoral, ministerial care to the victim.

Nothing is more important than the well-being of our students. St. Xavier High School operates under strict policies and guidelines, which are regularly reviewed and improved upon, to ensure a safe and secure environment for students. We are vigilant in prevention and reporting with a keen sense of awareness and procedures to protect each and every young man."

Piggott has not been charged at this time. The number of students involved in the allegations is not known.