NEW YORK (NY)
America
October 27, 2018
By Michael J. O’Loughlin
A deacon at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Swormville, N.Y., for 15 years, Paul Snyder felt “complete shock” one night earlier this year when he learned from a local newscast that his longtime pastor was the subject of sexual harassment allegations made by three young adults.
The pastor, Rev. Robert Yetter, had been accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward at least two young men who had reached out to him for counsel and support.
A series of investigations by Buffalo television station WKBW showed that Bishop Richard Malone and other diocesan officials knew about the complaints but decided to allow the priest to retire without making the allegations public. For his part, Father Yetter had implied in an email that the diocese’s fundraising efforts would be harmed if the allegations were made public.
Mr. Snyder, a local businessman who formerly served on the boards of the local Catholic Charities agency and Christ the King Seminary, said his parish community had been told that Father Yetter had chosen to retire, with no mention that the priest had been accused of misconduct.
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.