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Archbishop’s response to priest’s sexual abuse allegations questioned

Father Robert Poandl

Priest pulled from duties amid sex abuse allegations

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By Michael D. Pitman, Staff Writer Updated 8:51 PM Thursday, February 4, 2010

CINCINNATI — A local abuse support network is chastising Archbishop Dennis Schnurr for his “minimal response”after a priest from a Fairfield-based religious order was accused of sexually abusing a child.

Last week, the Rev. Robert Poandl, a 68-year-old priest with Glenmary Home Missioners, was indicted on three charges related to allegations of sexual conduct in 1991 with a 10-year-old boy at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Spencer, W.Va. The accuser is now 28 and lives in Cincinnati.

“We really look at this as Archbishop Schnurr’s first real test in Cincinnati,” said Daniel Frondorf, the leader of the local chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, during a Thursday, Feb. 4, news conference in front of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s East Eighth Street offices downtown.

“It saddens us that he’s decided to say, ‘That guy isn’t under my jurisdiction so I have no authority,’” said Frondorf, who said he believes the archbishop has a moral obligation to inform and educate the public when such an allegation is made against a priest within the archdiocese’s footprint.

Schnurr was named Coadjutor Archbishop of Cincinnati by Pope Benedict XVI in October 2008, which meant he would succeed Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk, who retired in December.

Frondorf said he and SNAP officials are looking at this case as “how (Schnurr) will respond to allegations in the future of this type,” and said Schnurr should have used his influence to urge Glenmary to educate the public about the allegations.

Archdiocese spokesman Dan Andriacco said the archbishop has read SNAP’s letter and will respond, but likely won’t make the response public.

According to a statement from Glenmary President the Rev. Dan Dorsey, Poandl was removed from his public priestly duties and his assignment in Georgia once the allegations first came to light in June, and has since been at the Glenmary headquarters in Fairfield. Dorsey also notified the Cincinnati archdiocese and dioceses in Georgia and West Virginia of the charges.

Poandl denies the allegations, which are the first of any kind made against him in his 40-plus years as a missionary priest, according to the statement.

Poandl’s case will be heard in Roane County Circuit Court in West Virginia. No court date has been set as of Thursday.

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5112 or mpitman@coxohio.com.

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