The priest who revealed the alleged sexual activities of the priest Fr. Ralph Johnson is Fr. David Bollinger, priest for 20 years at St. Paul's, Owego, NY. He himself has been inhibited by the bishop for alleged financial irregularities and for allegedly whistle blowing on Fr. Johnson.

Chris Peterson a vestryman at St. Paul's, Owego, NY, told VirtueOnline, that Johnson, now living in Gibson, PA got a visit recently by Bishop Adams and Fr. John Martinicchio, rector of Christ Church, Binghamton, where the priest allegedly confessed his crimes and renounced his orders during this meeting. This confession supports the allegations that were raised over two years ago by Fr. David Bollinger, then rector of St. Paul's.

Peterson wrote VirtueOnline saying that when a second person came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct of several decades ago, the Diocese of Central New York obtained the services of a forensic psychologist, who verified that the allegations were, in fact, true.

Bishop Adams and Father John Martinicchio, the head of the Diocesan Response Team, then visited Johnson, the accused priest, at his home in Gibson, Pennsylvania.

"Fr. Johnson signed a paper in which he relinquished his position as a priest in the Episcopal Church. It is not known whether this paper contained any explicit admission of guilt. But priests have three days in which to reconsider resignations. And Fr. Johnson rescinded his resignation within those three days. The Diocese is now working on a second paper, which, it is hoped, Fr. Johnson will sign. If not, we are told, the Diocese will then seek a Presentment against Fr Johnson," said the vestryman.

All parties concerned are receiving professional care at Diocesan Expense, said Peterson. "Damages are not being sought; merely, an acknowledgment from the Church that what happened, actually happened."

When I approached Fr. Martinicchio about what took place, VOL was told, "I have no comment. I am not going to discuss the situation." Bishop Adams did not respond immediately to an E-mail about the situation. But Ms. Kathleen McDaniel, Executive Assistant to the Bishop responded to the e-mail sent to Bishop Adams with a copy to VOL saying; "Sorry to have to bother you (bishop) with this. I was tempted to delete it. Then I was tempted to send a reply on your behalf and simply say, no." The bishop did not personally respond.

Later Bishop Adams did respond to VOL and said this: "Your inquiry is inappropriate and it would be correspondingly inappropriate for me to respond."

But Fr. David Bollinger the ousted priest from St. Paul's was under no such restriction. He told VOL, "I believe I have been inhibited as a punishment for trying to seek the truth about Johnson's alleged pedophile activities when I received an affidavit from one of 16 victims of my parish charging the former parish priest with sexual abuse."

Bollinger sent the signed complaint to the bishop and pastoral response team. As a result of doing this, and because he blew the whistle on the former parish priest, the bishop turned on Bollinger and inhibited him and then accused him of misusing his Discretionary Fund.

VirtueOnline revealed the name of the priest, Fr. Johnson and identified him as retired and living in Gibson, PA. VirtueOnline called the priest.

VIRTUEONLINE: "Fr. Johnson you have been identified as the priest at St. Paul's in Owego, NY who sexually abused some 16 boys in the 70s. Is that true?"

JOHNSON: "Not that I know of."

VIRTUEONLINE: A woman has stepped forward with evidence that you had a joint bank account with her son to cover up your sexual behavior? Is that true?

JOHNSON: "No way".

VIRTUEONLINE: "Fr. Bollinger, the current priest at the parish alleges that he has been inhibited because he exposed information about you to Bishop Gladstone "Skip" Adams? Why would the bishop go after him and not you?"

JOHNSON: "I don't know anything about this. Good luck with this." Johnson then hung up.

At the time the diocese said it had insufficient grounds to fully investigate the charges. But when another witness stepped forward earlier this year the diocese had no choice but to investigate the charges. While the issues related to the pedophile charges are closer to resolution at this time, the diocese has not yet rescinded the presentment against Fr. Bollinger.

PRESENTMENT ISSUED

But Bishop Adams had already taken the next step in his vendetta against Fr. David Bollinger. Following the November diocesan convention he moved against Fr. Bollinger and by decree of the Standing Committee inhibited him.

In a letter dated March 14, the Bishop handed down a presentment against Fr. Bollinger. The presentment means that Fr. Bollinger will now be tried by an ecclesiastical court. The diocese continues to maintain the veil of secrecy over the charges, claiming that they are doing so in order "to be fair and faithful to all persons involved." The letter further claims that the full disclosure of the presentment would "potentially prejudice the proceedings now before the Ecclesiastical Court."

The Standing Committee which issued the presentment is the same group that would not hear from the vestry (the leadership board) of St. Paul's, Owego, the parish where Fr. Bollinger served because to do so would prejudice their minds in the matter.

"I have been told by a member of clergy in the Diocese of Central NY that a member of the ecclesiastical court, the Rev. Dr. William Lutz, has said in a clergy meeting that he believes that Fr. Bollinger is guilty as charged. If this is what Fr. Lutz said, he would seem to have a prejudiced mind before the trial has even started. If so, this is just one more piece of an ever widening accumulation of evidence that the diocesan process toward removing Fr. Bollinger from his parish and potentially from the priesthood has been extremely flawed from the beginning," said Bollinger.

The inhibited priest recently filed a $4.35 million lawsuit against the bishop, diocese and former comptroller by his attorney David Goulding. The lawsuit names Bishop Skip Adams, the Diocese of Central NY and former comptroller Gael Sopchak as defendants.

A letter later arrived stating that Fr. Bollinger's inhibition has been extended for another 90 days. This makes it over a year since Fr. Bollinger was permitted to function as a priest.

Multiple sources told VirtueOnline that the diocese has hired one of the most expensive law firms in Syracuse to handle the lawsuit. Ironically this was the same diocese that could not afford to continue the ministry of the Thornfield Conference Center and tore it down. "In the past two years, our impoverished diocese has paid $30,000 for a forensic audit, hired a public relations firm and now an expensive law firm. As our bishop tells us, a budget is a theological statement, and the forensic audit, PR firm and expensive law firm speak volumes about the bankrupt theology of the Diocese of Central NY," said the source.

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