CV NEWS FEED // The Diocese of Kansas City has announced that it will launch a preliminary canonical investigation into a deacon after a sexual abuse lawsuit was filed against a religious brother who has the same name.
The diocesan website issued a notice on Aug. 7 that it became aware of the accusation on Aug. 1, when a lawsuit was filed against Brother Ralph Wehner alleging inappropriate sexual contact with a minor between the years 1982 and 1984 in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
According to the notice, the Diocese “immediately launched” an initial investigation “to determine any potential connection to Deacon Ralph Wehner who is assigned to the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.”
The notice further reports that the initial investigation resulted in Bishop James V. Johnston, Jr. initiating a preliminary canonical investigation on Aug. 7. Deacon Wehner was placed on “precautionary suspension,” which “should not be viewed as a punishment or as indication of wrongdoing, but rather a protective measure for all persons involved.”
The lawsuit against Brother Wehner is one of five lawsuits filed in St. Louis and nearby counties that involve 60 sexual abuse allegations against Catholic priests, nuns, and others, including a former archbishop of Omaha, as CatholicVote previously reported.
