PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Review
By Chris Fleisher
Sunday, Aug. 3, 2014
A Beaver County priest who once served as chaplain at Pittsburgh International Airport and an Air National Guard station has been placed on administrative leave while authorities investigate allegations that he sexually abused a child in the late 1990s.
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said on Sunday it reported the accusations against the Rev. John “Jack” Fitzgerald, 66, pastor of Our Lady of Peace Parish in Conway, to the district attorneys of Allegheny and Lawrence counties, where the incidents allegedly took place.
Fitzgerald denied committing any acts of sexual abuse, the diocese said. He cannot administer the sacraments, dress in clerical attire or identify himself as a priest while he is on leave. The diocese placed him in a temporary residence, and he could not be reached.
“If a determination is made that Father Fitzgerald did what he is accused of, those restrictions will become permanent,” Bishop David Zubik wrote in a letter read to all Masses at Our Lady of Peace this weekend. “If it is determined that the allegation is unfounded, all that is possible will be done to restore Father Fitzgerald’s reputation and return him to ministry.”
The Rev. Ron Lengwin, diocesan spokesman, said only one person accused Fitzgerald of abuse. Lengwin declined to comment on any specifics of the accusations.
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