PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer
By John P. Martin
Inquirer Staff Writer
Prosecutors are reviewing a claim that Bishop Michael J. Bransfield, a Philadelphia native serving as the top Catholic official in West Virginia, fondled a Lansdale Catholic High School student in the 1970s, according to interviews and court records.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia learned of the allegation in 2007 and forwarded it to Montgomery County prosecutors, a spokesman for the archdiocese said Friday.
What happened to that probe is unclear. But Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said her office was now reviewing a complaint against Bransfield.
The suggestion that Bransfield, who hails from a Philadelphia family of prominent clerics, knew about or participated in sexual misconduct with minors was among the most explosive – and unresolved – revelations in the landmark trial of two Archdiocese of Philadelphia priests.
Prosecutors wouldn’t elaborate after his name emerged in testimony in April. The bishop, 68, angrily denied any wrongdoing then, and stood by that denial Friday, his spokesman said.
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