PITTSBURGH — The head clergyman of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Downtown Pittsburgh has resigned amid allegations of retail theft.
Ketlen Solak, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, issued a letter to the Trinity Cathedral community on Saturday.
In the letter, Solak said she’d accepted the resignation of Dean Aidan Smith.
Last week, Channel 11 told you about theft and receiving stolen property charges filed against Smith, after police say he tried to steal $1,000 worth of baseball cards from the Walmart in Economy.
Smith had been on administrative leave since January.
In Saturday’s letter, Bishop Solak said Smith’s leave was “prompted by an ongoing investigation into questions we received at the end of December and beginning of January suggesting that he may have failed to safeguard the property of the church.”
Procedures within the Episcopal Church for handling clergy misconduct began soon after his leave began, Solak said.
Following Smith’s arrest, Solak said, she’s found it “pastorally appropriate” to let the church know that Smith has been under investigation for weeks over “whether (he) improperly sold artifacts belonging to the cathedral through online platforms.”
The theft charges following Smith’s arrest are unrelated to the allegations of mishandling church property, Solak said; however, the matters will move forward under the same disciplinary case in the Episcopal Church. Smith is innocent until proven guilty under the Church’s Title IV process.
“Please continue to pray for Aidan, his family and for everyone impacted by these events,” Solak said.
In the meantime, Solak and other church officials will take charge of the cathedral. Discussions about the future will begin in three to four months after a period to “breathe and heal,” the bishop said.
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