A Roman Catholic priest in Northampton County has been cleared by an independent investigation and has returned to his role as pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Bethlehem Township, the Allentown Diocese announced Thursday.
Monsignor Edward R. Sacks was removed from his ministry three weeks ago due to an allegation of sexual misconduct dating to the 1970s when he was assigned to the former Holy Name High School in Reading.
An independent investigation determined that no abuse of any kind occurred, and that the allegation was erroneous, the diocese said.
The person who made the allegation has since said the accusation was made in error, the diocese said, and the alleged victim confirmed that he was not abused by any member of the clergy.
Sacks, who is now 80, contended in a missive to members of his parish that he had been falsely accused. The accusation, he said, came from the mother of a former Holy Name student who had confused him with someone else.
“I am absolutely convinced that I can prove my innocence,” he said. “It’s a case of mistaken identity.”
Under the diocese’s zero-tolerance policy, Bishop Alfred A. Schlert immediately removed Sacks from ministry on Sept. 14 and notified the Berks County district attorney’s office of his dismissal.
Law enforcement reviewed the allegation, the diocese said, and decided not to pursue it because the date of the alleged abuse was in the 1970s.
At the time of Sacks’ dismissal, Berks DA John T. Adams said that there would be no investigation by his office because the incident occurred well past the statute of limitations. Under Pennsylvania law, a criminal case cannot be brought once the alleged victim turns 51.
The diocese, under its protocol in addressing allegations of abuse, turned to an independent firm to investigate the allegation. The firm, based outside the diocese, employs former FBI agents as investigators.
Details of the investigation were presented to the Independent Review Board, which made the unanimous recommendation to Schlert to restore Sacks to ministry.
The review board in made up of experts not employed by the diocese, including a family doctor with expertise in examining children who have been sexually abused, a county children and youth services caseworker, a federal probation officer and the director of the Bureau of Offender Reentry of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole.
Sacks had not been named in the state grand jury report that accused church leaders of covering up abuse by 300 Catholic priests in Pennsylvania since the 1940s.
Ordained in 1964, Sacks is a native of Coplay, Lehigh County.
He was principal of Holy Name from 1974 to 1979 and vice principal in 1968-69. He also served as principal of Marian High School in Hometown, Schuylkill County.
He was pastor of St. Margaret’s Church in Reading and dean of the Berks Deanery of Priests in 1984-85. He has been pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help since 1988.
Anyone who knows of incidents of abuse, in the church or elsewhere, should report it to the state ChildLine at 800-932-0313, the state attorney general’s hotline at 888-538-8541 or to local law enforcement.
Contact the City Desk: 610-371-5012 or news@readingeagle.com.