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After second abuse allegation, priest found unsuitable for ministry
By Matthew Gambin
Msgr. Joseph L. Logrip, 74, a priest of the Philadelphia Archdiocese who had been cleared of an allegation of child sexual abuse in 2011, has been permanently suspended after another more recent allegation was found to be credible. The archdiocese revealed the decision of Archbishop Charles Chaput on Sunday, Dec. 8 after he had accepted the recommendation of the Archdiocesan Professional Responsibilities Review Board (APRRB), a 12-member advisory panel of experts on child abuse. The news was communicated to the community at Camilla Hall, the retirement facility in Immaculata for elderly and ill Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary where Msgr. Logrip had served as chaplain, and to St. Peter Parish in West Brandywine where he assisted with celebrating weekend Masses. Msgr. Logrip was ordained a priest in 1972. He had been placed on leave in March 2011 due to an allegation that he had sexually abused a minor decades earlier, and following the second Philadelphia grand jury report on sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. After law enforcement declined to press charges on the allegation, the archdiocesan Office for Investigations — which looks into cases of sexual assault as well as “boundary violations,” which may not rise to the level of criminality but may be violations of the archdiocese’s Standards of Ministerial Behavior and Boundaries — probed the matter. By 2014 the APRRB found the allegation not credible and deemed Msgr. Logrip suitable for ministry. At that time he was assigned to Camilla Hall with assistance at St. Peter’s. In its Dec. 8 statement, the archdiocese said it received in late 2018 a new allegation of Msgr. Logrip sexually abusing a minor in the early 1980s. He was subsequently placed on leave with his public ministry restricted in January 2019. Again law enforcement did not press charges, and the church began its investigation, although the archdiocese did not disclose when that began. Based on the Office for Investigation’s findings, the APRRB found the allegation credible and that Msgr. Logrip was unsuitable for ministry, a recommendation accepted by Archbishop Chaput. At this time Msgr. Logrip’s priestly faculties remain suspended while his case will be forwarded to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican. The formal canonical (church law) process may hear an appeal of the decision or begin a path to laicization, or removal from the clerical state. Msgr. Logrip has served at the following parishes, schools and offices: St. Ignatius, Yardley (1972-1974); St. Rose of Lima, North Wales (1974-1975); Bishop Kenrick High School (1974-1983); Epiphany of Our Lord, Plymouth Meeting (1975-1981); St. Gabriel’s Hall (1981-1983); Archbishop Carroll High School (1983-1990); St. Francis of Assisi, Norristown (1990-1992); St. Monica, Philadelphia (1992-1994); Mater Dolorosa, Philadelphia (1994-2000); Immaculate Conception, Levittown (2000-2007); SS. Philip and James, Exton (2007-2008); Mother of Divine Grace, Philadelphia (2008-2010); chaplain, St. Mary Manor (2010-2011); St. Stanislaus, Lansdale (2010-2011); placed on administrative leave and faculties restricted (2011); found suitable for ministry (2014); chaplain, Camilla Hall (2014-2019); St. Peter Parish, West Brandywine (2017-2019); placed on administrative leave and faculties restricted (2019); found unsuitable for ministry (2019). The archdiocese encourages anyone wishing to report an allegation of sexual abuse to contact local law enforcement agency and/or the archdiocesan Office for Investigations at 1-888-930-9010. To report a violation of The Standards of Ministerial Behavior and Boundaries, contact the archdiocesan Office for Investigations.
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