PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Vatican Insider
Maria Teresa Pontara Pederiva
Rome
This time it has nothing to do with paedophilia, doctrinal issues or alleged liturgical abuses. Forty seven year old Geraldo Pinero, former pastor of Incarnation of Our Lord Church in Philadelphia’s Olney neighbourhood was removed “unsuitable for ministry,” due to “a substantiated violation of The Standards of Ministerial Behavior and Boundaries.”
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput announced the news Sunday. He did not go into detail about the nature of the “violations” but they appear to be business related. Indeed, Pinero was a local face of an Illinois-based enterprise calling itself Teamwork Revolution Power Systems and the Philadelphia Inquirer revealed that back in November 2010 federal agents had served a search warrant on the Incarnation rectory but no criminal or civil action was taken against the pastor. In a statement, a spokesman of the archdiocese allegedly said that “outside secular employment is not permitted for a priest,” except from teaching in Catholic universities or faith related conferences.
As a result, and following Mgr. Chaput’s announcement last Sunday, Pinero is no longer permitted to exercise his public ministry, wear clerical garb or present himself publicly as a priest.” In autumn 2011, 26 priests were suspended for reasons linked to paedophilia but the Archdiocese is adamant that this particular case has nothing to do with any of these previous cases.
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