CINCINNATI (OH)
WLWT - NBC 5 [Cincinnati OH]
September 17, 2025
By Todd Dykes
Father Ed Burns on administrative leave amid computer investigation
Father Ed Burns, a priest at St. Michael Catholic Church in Sharonville since 2018, has been placed on administrative leave after a church computer investigation raised concerns among parishioners.
Angie Stofko, a parishioner, expressed her frustration, saying, “We’re at a dead end. We don’t know how to get answers.”
A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati explained that two weeks ago, while a computer at St. Michael’s was being repurposed, a worker discovered that pornographic websites may have been accessed. The following weekend, parishioners were informed that Burns had been placed on administrative leave, but Stofko noted that little information was provided.
“All the moms that, we talk to and text to each other, we all started talking. And then the rumors started,” she said.
Last Tuesday, after hearing these rumors, WLWT’s attempts to reach the archdiocese for comment were met with no new information. It wasn’t until yesterday that the archdiocese sent a letter to affected church members, including those at St. Gabriel in Glendale and St. John in West Chester. The letter referenced the computer and stated that Ed Burns is not to be in parish offices or on school campuses.
Stofko voiced her concerns, asking, “It’s concerning because the one question and the one thing that I just wanted confirmation or denial or something — did this involve children?”
In February, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s incoming Bishop Robert Casey emphasized the importance of openness, saying, “I strive to be open. I think that in this day and age, especially with social media the way it is, it’s hard not to be open.”
Stofko echoed this sentiment, stating, “You’re leaving parents out here to wonder, to guess. And rumors start swirling. And that’s not truth. We want the truth, and we’re not getting it.”
Efforts to speak with someone from the archdiocese today were unsuccessful, but a church spokesperson emphasized that administrative leave does not entail a presumption of guilt. The church computer is currently being examined by experts at the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, and it remains unclear how long Ed Burns’ administrative leave will last.