Sign at Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School vandalized,
A sign in front of Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School in Cranberry was vandalized overnight to obscure Cardinal Donald Wuerl’s name.
The action came in the wake of a grand jury report released last week that accused the cardinal of shielding priests who abused children during his tenure as bishop in Pittsburgh.
The vandal sprayed red paint over the words “Cardinal Wuerl” on both sides of the sign that sits at the entrance to the school at 228 Hillmont Drive.
The vandalism was reported about 7 a.m. Monday, Cranberry police Sgt. Chuck Mascellino said, and it’s unclear exactly when it happened. Police are investigating and could levy a charge of institutional vandalism, which is typically a misdemeanor, against the perpetrator.
“Obviously, we believe there is some connection to the ongoing issue with the diocese,” Sgt. Mascellino said.
Cardinal Wuerl has faced criticism since the grand jury report was released last Tuesday, with more than 5,000 people signing an online petition asking the school to remove his name.
The cardinal has said he has no plans to resign and has defended his actions. He did, however, withdraw from giving the keynote address this week at the World Meeting of Families in Ireland.
The high school opened in Cranberry in 2014 and replaced the former North Catholic High School in Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood.
The Rev. Nicholas S. Vaskov, spokesman at the Diocese of Pittsburgh, declined to comment on the vandalism.
School officials could not immediately be reached.