‘Serious’ errors made in dealing with area priest
The archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati said officials “made serious mistakes” regarding the Rev. Geoff Drew, a suspended priest who once worked in Liberty Twp.
On July 23, Archbishop Dennis Schnurr suspended Drew, who served as pastor of the St. Maximilian Kolbe parish in Liberty Twp. for nine years, from 2009-18, after he was accused “of behavior that violates the Archdiocese’s child protection decree,” officials said.
“In 2013 and again in 2015, the central office of the archdiocese received concerns from St. Maximilian Kolbe parishioners regarding Father Drew’s behavior,” archdiocese communications Director Mike Shafer said during a news conference Monday. “The alleged behavior involved a pattern of such things as uninvited bear hugs, shoulder massages, patting of the leg above the knee, and inappropriate sexual comments about one’s body or appearance, directed at teen boys.
“This behavior naturally made these boys uncomfortable. In addition, there was a report of Father Drew texting some of the boys ‘teasing them about girlfriends.’”
Shafer said the complaints were directed to the Butler County prosecutor’s office and no evidence of criminal wrongdoing was found.
Bishop Joseph R. Binzer, in his role as director of priest personnel, addressed Drew’s behavior with him on two occasions, and Drew said he was unaware of the concerns and would change his behavior, Shafer said.
Drew applied for and was assigned to be the new pastor at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish in Cincinnati last summer. There were no other complaints about Drew until Schnurr, who said he was not made aware of the previous complaints, received a letter directly from a St. Maximilian Kolbe parishioner reiterating previous concerns expressed about Drew, the archdiocese said. The letter was given to the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office, church officials said.
Prosecutor Mike Gmoser’s office recommended Drew’s involvement with St. Ignatius School be restricted and a monitor be assigned.
“Our acceptance of this recommendation, combined with inadequate oversight, was obviously ineffective and a mistake, and we will not repeat it,” Shafer said.
Another letter was received in October 2018 from a St. Ignatius parishioner that said Drew “inappropriate touched (the letter writer’s son-in-law’s) leg and made him feel very uncomfortable.”
That letter was also forwarded to the Butler County Prosecutor, officials said.
Archdiocese officials received the results of an independent investigation in May and determined no criminal behavior took place. They assigned Drew to counseling sessions in June.
While he was in that counseling, the archdiocese received a complaint in June 2019 that Drew was allegedly texting a teenager. Those texts were confirmed, and because they were a violation of the “Decree on Child Protection” and because of a “pattern of behavior in contradiction” to the decree, Drew was removed as pastor of St. Ignatius on July 23.
“Within a couple weeks of counseling, we received this allegation of texting and at that point the archbishop said, ‘I’ve seen enough, it’s time to remove him as pastor,’” Shafer said.
He was placed on a leave of absence and ordered to undergo evaluations at “an independent in-patient treatment facility.”
Gmoser said his office received a statement from the archdiocese several years ago concerning Drew. Gmoser said the incident involved communication between Drew and a student. There was no evidence of sexual conduct or contact, he said.