HARRISBURG (PA)
York Daily Record
August 1, 2018
By Brandie Kessler and Ed Mahon
The Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has released a list of more than 70 of its clergy members, one a former Memphis priest, accused of sexually abusing or having inappropriate contact with children in cases dating back decades.
Walter Emala, who died in 2008 in Baltimore, is cited on the list for allegations of inappropriate behavior, such as kissing.
Church files in the Memphis Catholic Diocese indicate decades of sexual abuse allegations against Emala dating to the 1960s in Nashville-Memphis and Baltimore dioceses. Memphis was part of the Nashville diocese prior to 1970.
Emala in 1967 was accused of taking boys on trips and sleeping with them in the nude, and at other times taking boys to adult movies. He was also accused of child abuse in the Baltimore Archdiocese.
In 2004, Emala was accused of sexual misconduct with minors at his parish near his then-Pennsylvania diocese in Harrisburg. He was reported to the district attorney’s office and was warned to stay out of the Harrisburg diocese.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.