Priest suspended; law enforcement notified about mid-’80s incident, Bishop says

PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Democrat

By David Hurst
dhurst@tribdem.com

A longtime Altoona-Johnstown Catholic church clergyman has been suspended from his duties due to accusations of misconduct with a minor that dates back three decades.

The Rev. Anthony Petracca, 61, will not be able to work as a priest and must reside at a location where he will have no contact with children, Altoona-Johnstown Diocese Bishop Mark Bartchak said.

Bartchak, through a release to media, said the move stems from an incident alleged to have occurred in the mid-1980s.

Petracca was ordained into the priesthood in 1985.

According to Tribune-Democrat archives, then-Bishop James Hogan assigned Petracca to his first church, Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Altoona in the spring of 1985.

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