Bedford Priest Named in Sexual Abuse Case

By Ryan Brown
Altoona Mirror
January 8, 2016

http://altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/627602/Bedford-priest-named-in-sexual-abuse-case.html?nav=742

A retired priest working as a long-term substitute at Bedford's St. James Episcopal Church was placed on administrative leave this week after he was named in a decades-old abuse case unfolding at a Rhode Island boarding school.

The Rev. Howard White has worked as a "supply priest" - a temporary priest without full powers - at St. James for eight years before his suspension, Bishop Audrey Scanlan, head of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, said in an interview. On Tuesday, former students at Rhode Island's prestigious St. George's School identified White as one of several previously unnamed suspects in a sexual abuse case there.

"I have moved to immediately restrict Fr. White's ministry and to provide for the pastoral care of the congregation that he currently serves," Scanlan said Wednesday in a written statement. "I have no information that leads me to believe that there have been any incidents of abuse at St. James, Bedford, but it is imperative that we employ all the safeguards that are available to us while the investigation (continues)."

Allegations against White and other former St. George's employees date to the 1970s and '80s, with alumni now claiming at least 23 students faced sexual abuse. A school investigation published in December claimed "Employee No. 2" - now identified as White - had engaged in inappropriate contact with at least three male students before or during 1974.

Contact: rbrown@altoonamirror.com