Erie bishops defend priest’s supervision
They say the diocese aided in abuse arrest
The Diocese of Erie’s past and present bishops are defending their supervision of a priest who was arrested Tuesday on charges of sexual abuse and who stayed in ministry for eight years after admitting his attraction to boys and to sending them sexually themed texts.
The statements came a day after the arrest of the Rev. David L. Poulson of Oil City on charges of sexually abusing two boys between 2002 and 2010.
Both bishops sought to rebut Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s statement that “for years, the Diocese of Erie turned a blind eye to child abuse by Father David Poulson.”
Erie Bishop Emeritus Donald W. Trautman said in a written statement there “was no cover-up of sexual abuse.”
Current Bishop Lawrence Persico said it was the diocese itself, based on new information, that provided information to authorities in January 2018 that led to Father Poulson’s arrest.
Father Poulson, 64, was indicted by the 40th statewide grand jury, which has been investigating sexual abuse in Erie’s and five other Catholic dioceses. He faces charges in Jefferson County, part of the 13-county Diocese of Erie.
The indictment cited a 2010 internal memo in which Bishop Trautman confronted Father Poulson over a third-hand report of a young man’s interactions with the priest, allegations that did not include physical contact,