ARLINGTON (VA)
WTTG-TV, Fox-5 [Washington DC]
May 28, 2026
By Bob Barnard
The Brief
- Father Patrick Posey has been placed on administrative leave after accusations of sexual misconduct with minors recently surfaced.
- Posey was the rector at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington.
- The alleged incidents occurred between 1992 and 1993.
A Catholic priest in Northern Virginia is facing sexual misconduct allegations.
What we know:
Father Patrick Posey was the rector at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More, a multicultural parish and the “mother church” of the Diocese of Arlington.
Church officials say he has been placed on administrative leave following an allegation of sexual misconduct involving minors. The allegation dates back to 1992-1993 while he worked for the Diocese of Arlington. The diocese says Father Posey denies the allegation.
What they’re saying:
In a statement shared on its website, the Diocese of Arlington writes:
The Very Reverend Patrick L. Posey, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, has been placed on administrative leave pending investigation of an allegation of sexual misconduct with minors. The alleged incidents occurred between 1992 and 1993 outside the Diocese of Arlington. Fr. Posey denies the accusation. No determination has yet been made regarding the allegation. In accord with diocesan policy, upon receiving the allegation the diocese reported it promptly to law enforcement. The diocese is fully cooperating with law enforcement and will continue to do so.
Like all priests, diocesan employees, and volunteers who work with children in the Diocese of Arlington, Fr. Posey has undergone regular criminal background checks during his service. His current assignment, from which he is on administrative leave, is as rector at the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More in Arlington, Virginia. The Reverend Nicholas Barnes has been appointed as parochial administrator at the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More.
If you have information specifically related to this allegation, please contact law enforcement. The diocese encourages anyone who knows of any misconduct or abuse on the part of any cleric or employee of the diocese to notify civil authorities, as well as to reach out to the diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator at (703) 841-2530.
The Diocese of Arlington asks for prayers for all affected by this allegation.
Angela Walker is the executive director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). In a statement to FOX 5 DC, she said her organization “applauds the bravery of survivors for refusing to remain silent and holding this predatory priest to account.”
“We can anticipate that other survivors may come forward to tell their stories of abuse,” Walker’s statement reads. “Even though this abuse happened decades ago, time does not erase the trauma. SNAP is happy that justice in this case is finally happening for all of the survivors affected.”
The other side:
Church officials are not saying where the alleged misconduct happened, only that it occurred outside the Diocese of Arlington.
“They said, ‘Oh, it happened outside the diocese,’ like they’re not responsible. You know, ‘it’s not our fault’ and so forth,” says Becky Ianni of the Abuse Survivors Coalition. “And to me, that’s minimizing this survivor’s story. Oftentimes, perpetrators take their victims outside of the diocese. They could take them to Maryland or D.C., and the abuse could happen there. But that doesn’t mean the diocese isn’t responsible for priests under their purview.”
Ianni, herself a survivor of clergy abuse, says, “In the state of Virginia, there’s no statute of limitations criminally on child abuse. So the authorities, if they choose to, can investigate this.”
Ianni says if there are any other victims, they should contact authorities.
“I hope that other survivors will know they’re not alone. And sometimes the survivor’s not going to come forward because they’re afraid they’re not going to be believed.”
The backstory:
According to his profile on the diocese website, Father Posey graduated from Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Maryland, was ordained a priest in 1991, and worked in the Dominican Republic for eight years beginning in 1995. Becky Ianni says that raises questions.
“In the past, we have seen priests who were moved overseas after there’s been an accusation. So it makes me wonder, is this a red flag? Did someone know at the time? I have no way of knowing, but it makes me wonder.”
After returning to Virginia from the Caribbean, Father Posey was pastor of St. James Catholic Church in Falls Church for 13 years. A parishioner there tells FOX 5 she is shocked by the allegation and says Father Posey was an amazing priest who was loved and serious and never had any issues. Both St. James and the Cathedral of St. Thomas More have schools as part of their communities.
“Rarely is there just one survivor of a perpetrator,” says Ianni of the Abuse Survivors Coalition. She says the priest who abused her when she was a little girl committed suicide in 1992.
“So, we have to wonder if there are other survivors out there, and I’m hoping that with the announcement other survivors will come forward and go to law enforcement.”
What you can do:
Church officials are asking anyone with information related to the allegation to contact police.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, the Survivors Network of those Abused and the Abuse Survivors Coalition.