PITTSBURGH,None — Bishop David Zubik of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese is confronting rumors about what church officials knew about a Churchill priest's conduct.
The Rev. Bartley Sorensen, of St. John Fisher Parish, is accused of having more than 6,000 pictures and videos of child pornography on his computer.
A church staff member alerted church officials after she said she caught Sorensen looking at pornographic images of young boys on Dec. 10. The police were then contacted.
Over the weekend, a statement from Bishop David Zubik was read at all masses in the Pittsburgh diocese about the case.
In the statement, Zubik said, “I want to assure you that there was no prior knowledge that Father Sorensen had engaged in criminal conduct nor of any other problematic behavior before his arrest -- absolutely none."
Zubik told Channel 11’s news exchange partners at TribLIVE that he was shocked by the charges, because Sorensen's outward demeanor was completely different.
Sorensen is due in court on Tuesday.
Sorensen, 62, was arraigned last week after police said a search of his church office on Monday turned up additional images and videos.
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh suspended Sorensen and said it's cooperating with the investigation.
Two national organizations are now seeking action from Zubik. The Chicago-based Survivors Network of Those Abused By Priests and the Dayton-based National Survivor Advocates Coalition are both demanding changes.
Both groups want Zubik to stop promoting the diocesan abuse hotline and instead visit churches where Sorensen worked and ask witnesses, whistle-blowers and victims to contact police instead of church officials.
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