PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Daily Pennsylvanian
February 11, 2019
By Chris Doyle
Rev. Steven Marinucci, a Catholic priest who worked near Penn’s campus for 10 years, has been placed on administrative leave following an allegation that he sexually abused a minor in the late 1970s.
Marinucci, 71, worked at St. Agatha-St. James Church on 38th and Chestnut streets from 2001 to 2010. The church serves Penn and Drexel University students, as well as residents in the University City and West Philadelphia area. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia put Marinucci on leave soon after it received the allegation against Marinucci in late January.
The Archdiocese wrote in a Feb. 3 announcement that it forwarded the allegations to legal authorities, and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement. The church will then conduct an internal investigation of the claim against Marinucci.
Marinucci has denied the allegation, the Archdiocese said. When put on leave, Marinucci was ministering at the St. Matthew Parish in Northeast Philadelphia.
Current and former religious leaders in Penn’s Catholic community said they were saddened by the news of this allegation.
Father Eric Banecker, Catholic priest and 2011 College graduate, was a member of the Catholic Newman Center while Marinucci was stationed at St. Agatha-St. James. Banecker said he had a good relationship with Marinucci when he was a student at Penn.
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