| Rev. Bartley A. Sorensen Summary of Case: Sorensen was arrested in Dec. 2011 after a church employee found him viewing child pornography on his computer. Investigators found in Sorensen's office and rectory bedroom more than 5,000 images of prepubescent boys in sexual poses on CDs, in printed photos and in books. They also confiscated several commercially made child porn movies. He was placed on Administrative Leave by the diocese. Ordained: 1976 Incardinated: Pittsburgh |
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| Start | Stop | Parish/Assignment | Town/Accusations | State | Position | Notes |
Nov.1, 1976 Pittsburgh bishop was Vincent Martin Leonard (1969-1983) |
June 29, 1981 | St. Ferdinand | Cranberry Township | PA | 2/2 | |
| 1981 | 1983 | St. Colman's | Turtle Creek | PA | 2/2 | St. Colman's had a school with 292-313 students. |
1983 Leonard was succeeded by Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua (1983-1987) |
1985 | St. James' | Selwickley | PA | 3/3 | St. James' had a school with 185-222 students. |
1985 Donald William Wuerl followed Bevilacqua as Pittsburgh bishop (1988-2006) |
1990 | St. Valentine's | Bethel Park | PA | 3/3 | St. Valentine's had a school with 376-426 students. |
| 1990 | 1992 | Blessed Sacrament | Natrona Heights | PA | 2/3 | Blessed Sacrament had a school with 256-259 students. |
| 1992 | 1999 | Mater Dolorosa | Chicora | PA | 1/2, 1/1 | Mater Dolorasa had a school with 246-200 students. |
| 1999 | 2003 | St. Victor's | Bairford | PA | 1/1 | St. Victor's had a religious education program with 454-480 students. |
| 2003 | 2004 | Sorensen is not indexed in the 2004 Directory, and he is not listed in the Pittsburgh diocesan pages at his previous or next assignment. Per a Pittsburgh diocesan spokesman, Sorensen took a year's sabbatical in 2003 "for personal reasons". |
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2004 Bevilacqua was replaced by David Allen Zubik (2007-) |
Feb. 2011 | West Penn Allegheny Health System-West Penn Hospital | Pittsburgh | PA | Chaplain | |
| 2004 | 2011 | Immaculate Conception-St. Joseph's | Pittsburgh
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PA | 2/2, 2/3 | Immaculate Conception-St. Joseph's had a school, and a religious education program with 261-26 students. |
| Feb. 2011 | Nov. 2011 | St. Anne's | Castle Shannon | PA | ||
| Nov. 2011 | Dec. 10, 2011 | St. John Fisher | Churchill • Sorensen was arrested in Dec. 2011 and charged with possession of child pornography. A church employee happened upon Sorensen viewing child porn on his computer in a church office. The employee reported him to the Catholic Child Abuse Hotline the same day. Diocesan officials contacted police. Sorensen admitted to detectives to possessing and viewing at least 100 images of child porn. The images depicted pre-pubescent boys in sexual poses. • Several days after his arrest, police brought three new charges against Sorensen when they discovered in his office and bedroom CDs, books and printed photos containing more than 5,000 child porn images, and at least two commercially produced child porn movies. |
PA | Sorensen had been pastor of St. John's for three weeks. The employee who reported him said he would spend "hours and hours" on the computer in his office, with the door closed. Sorensen was removed from active ministry and placed on administrative leave.
Per news reports, there was also evidence that Sorensen had traveled alone several times to Amsterdam, which is a city known for its sex trade industry. |
Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1977-2011) • Priest Charged with Viewing Child Porn in Churchill Rectory, By Michael A. Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, December 10, 2011
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