Top Catholic priest resigns amid gay claim

WASHINGTON: A senior administrator in the US Catholic Church has resigned amid allegations that he frequented gay bars and used gay hookup app Grindr, according to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The organisation released a statement on Tuesday acknowledging accusations of misconduct against its general secretary, Jeffrey Burrill, by Catholic outlet The Pillar.

“In order to avoid becoming a distraction to the operations and ongoing work of the conference, Monsignor Burrill has resigned, effective immediately,” the conference said.

Catholic priests take a vow of celibacy and the Church opposes sexual activity outside of straight marriage.

The conference said it “takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and will pursue all appropriate steps to address them.” Shortly after Burrill’s resignation became public, The Pillar published an investigation analysing cell phone data that located him at known gay venues.

Data from his phone also suggested regular use of Grindr between 2018 and 2020.

The accusations against Burrill, who is from a diocese in Wisconsin, do not amount to violations of the law but Pillar editor-in-chief JD Flynn set out what the publication saw as the public interest in the investigation.

“Church leaders have acknowledged in recent years that inconsistency between the actual behaviour of these clerical leaders and the expectation of clerical celibacy can contribute to an unhealthy and damaging culture of secrecy and cover-up in the Church,” Flynn said in a statement.