OHIO
NBC 24
TOLEDO — A plan to hold a traditional funeral reserved for Catholic priests for Father Gerald Robinson is raising controversy among parishioners. Robinson is the priest who was convicted in 2006 of murdering Sister Margaret Ann Pahl just before Easter in 1980.
Despite being found guilty of killing Sister Pahl, Father Gerald Robinson remained an ordained priest in the Roman Catholic Church until his death last Friday. In a statement released Saturday, the Catholic Diocese of Toledo said Robinson will receive the ceremony reserved for all priests at the time of their passing.
Full statement from the Catholic Diocese of Toledo:
Father Gerald Robinson, a priest of the Diocese of Toledo died July 4, 2014. He was ordained May 30, 1964 and served across the diocese during his ministry.
At the time of his death, Father Robinson was in the custody of the Ohio Department of Corrections following his conviction for murder in 2006.
Father Robinson’s funeral will follow the usual protocol for a diocesan priest’s funeral. Diocesan Administrator Father Charles Ritter said “Whether in the eyes of God Father Robinson was or was not guilty of this crime, I do not know. I do know that he is the work of God’s hands, as are we all. He was a sinner, as are we all. He was a baptized member of the body of Christ, and he was, and remains an ordained priest of the Roman Catholic Church. This is the context in which his funeral will take place. “
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