Catholic officials in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas are
asking the Vatican to look into a case involving multiple allegations
against one of its priests.
The archdiocese on Friday said it
sent to the Vatican the results of an investigation it conducted into
sexual abuse claims by three men against the Rev. John Wisner.
“The Vatican will look at the report that the archbishop has filed and
they will either say to him, ‘Here’s how we think you should proceed,’
or they will say, ‘We’re going to take the case into our own hands and
do further investigation,’ ” said Rose Hammes, spokeswoman for the
archdiocese.
Archbishop Joseph Naumann removed Wisner from active
ministry in May after receiving a complaint from a 45-year-old man who
alleged Wisner had inappropriately touched him in 1982 on a youth outing
when he was 15. The archdiocese received two more allegations after
that from men in their 40s, Hammes said.
In a statement released Friday, the archdiocese said it had investigated the allegations and found them to be credible.
Wisner, who also is a medical doctor, denied that he engaged in sexual
misconduct, the archdiocese said. He could not be reached for comment
Friday.
Wisner was ordained in 1972 and had served as an
associate pastor at St. Agnes Parish in Roeland Park since 1985. He also
has worked at Sacred Heart and Christ the King Parishes in Kansas City,
Kan., and St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee.
Wisner also had been an
associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in
the psychiatry and behavioral sciences department. He retired in
September, a school spokesman said.
The archdiocese encourages any
persons who believe they have been sexually abused by a priest,
employee or volunteer of any archdiocesan parish, school or agency to
contact its Safe Environment Coordinator at 913-647-0324, the
Confidential Report Line at 913-647-3051, or local law enforcement.