Kansas City church deacon suspended as diocese reviews St. Louis sex abuse lawsuit
The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has suspended a deacon at a Kansas City church who may be accused of sexual abuse, diocesan leadership announced Wednesday.
A lawsuit filed in St. Louis County July 24 accuses a man named Ralph Wehner of sexually abusing a teenage victim between 1982 and 1984. After an initial investigation by the Kansas City-St. Joseph diocese, a deacon at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Kansas City with the same name has been placed on precautionary suspension from ministry, the diocese said.
“We were able to identify enough additional details to make a potential connection to Dcn. Ralph Wehner,” said Ashlie Hand, director of communications for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.
“That caused (Bishop James Johnston Jr.) to initiate a more formal preliminary canonical investigation,” she said.
Despite the precautionary suspension, the diocese hasn’t yet confirmed whether the man accused is the same man working in Kansas City. The canonical investigation will include meetings and interviews and additional fact-finding, Hand said.
Over the last five days, the diocese has been reviewing the details of the lawsuit, Hand said, and working to gather enough details to determine an appropriate action.
“Precautionary suspension from ministry should not be viewed as a punishment or as indication of wrongdoing, but rather a protective measure for all persons involved,” the diocesan office of communications said in an email.
The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph became aware of the lawsuit after the Missouri chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) sent a letter to Johnston last week detailing concerns from the organization and Kansas City Catholics.
On Aug. 1, David Clohessy, director of Missouri SNAP, set up in front of the diocesan headquarters to spread awareness and push for transparency from the church. After the diocese suspended Wehner Wednesday, he said the move reflects a lack of transparency in the church.
“Even now, in his vague, terse announcement that Deacon Wehner is suspended, Johnston refuses to admit that this is the same man who reportedly molested a St. Louis boy at least three times,” Clohessy said in an email.
“Kansas City Catholics, especially those at Good Counsel parish (where he’s been working) should be outraged,” he said. “They should carefully ask their kids if Deacon Wehner ever did or said anything that made them uncomfortable and report any suspicions or knowledge of wrongdoing — however slight — to law enforcement immediately.”
The lawsuit in St. Louis County names and focuses on abuse within the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Our Lady of Good Counsel’s website says Wehner originally hails from St. Louis and came to the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in 2009.
“Brother Ralph Wehner sexually abused (victim) between approximately 1982 to 1984, when (the victim) was 13 to 15 years old. The abuse occurred on at least three occasions,” the suit claims.
In a phone call with a Star reporter Saturday, the Ralph Wehner who lives in Kansas City declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Hand said in an email to The Star that the diocese takes accusations of abuse seriously, and that the church asks anyone with knowledge of abuse to report it.
“The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph takes all allegations of misconduct by church personnel very seriously and works to respond to survivors’ needs with urgency, respect and compassion,” the diocesan office of communications said in an email.
“We encourage anyone with knowledge about any misconduct by a church volunteer, employee, religious or clergy member — regardless of when the abuse may have occurred — to contact civil authorities first, and then call or text the diocese’s confidential report line 816-812-2500 or email ombudsman@diocesekcsj.org.”
This story was originally published August 7, 2024 at 8:24 PM.
