Latest news with #MartinBachman
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Priest to leave Green Township parish after admitting to viewing pornography
A priest at the center of controversy at a Green Township Catholic church is admitting to viewing pornography and has announced his departure from the parish. Martin Bachman, a priest at Our Lady of the Visitation, on June 6 told members of the parish he would begin a previously planned sabbatical immediately and not return. "I have viewed adult pornography and engaged with some video games of an inappropriate nature," Bachman said in a letter on the parish website that the Archdiocese of Cincinnati provided. Bachman said he did not view the pornography or video games in the parish office or on a parish-owned device. Bachman also said he'd been "scammed out of a significant amount of my personal money" but not parish funds, and reported the scam to law enforcement. Both matters – related to pornography and the alleged scam – had bubbled up in recent weeks at Our Lady of the Visitation. They came to a boil at the end of May when a member of the Archdiocese staff read a letter during Mass from Archbishop Robert Casey defending Bachman and Visitation's pastor. In that statement, Casey said no wrongdoing had been substantiated. On June 6, the Archdiocese changed course. "We confirmed information this week about the nature of the sinful and disturbing online activity in which Father Bachman has participated that requires immediate attention," a statement from the Archdiocese said. The priest will address the issues "during his time away from ministry," the statement said. Bachman, in his letter, said the past couple of years had been "particularly difficult ones" with the deaths of his parents within 30 days of each other and "not taking sufficient time to grieve." But he added that he would "take ownership" of his behavior and asked for parishioners' prayers to move from "sin to grace, out of darkness into light." This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Father Martin Bachman to leave Visitation, admits viewing pornography
The Independent
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
NFL long snapper causes commotion in church after interrupting service to demand answers over porn claims
NFL long snapper Jake McQuaide was escorted out of an Ohio church by police after he demanded that a Catholic priest explain his alleged use of a diocese computer to view pornography. McQuaide — who formerly played for the Vikings and the Dolphins — was at Our Lady of the Visitation in Green Township, Ohio on Saturday and demanded answers from Cincinnati Archdiocese Chancellor Jason Williams, who was addressing parishioners about allegations that priest Martin Bachman had used a church computer to watch porn. One of the church members, Todd Zureick, claimed he saw images on a laptop containing "thumbnails to pornography sites and links to multiple virtual reality role-playing sites involving pornography, sexual assault, group sex, rape, and occult themes," WCPO reported. He filed a complaint with the church earlier this year, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. During the Saturday meeting at the church, Williams read a letter from Archbishop Robert Casey saying the rumors weren't true. 'These have been investigated, and no wrongdoing — either criminally or ecclesiastically — has been substantiated … consequently, like gossip, the spreading of rumors is sinful, and we should all work to overcome this tendency of our fallen human nature,' the letter said. McQuaide wasn't satisfied by the letter's blanket rejection of the claims, and stood up and made clear he wanted more information. 'Please take a second. We want to put these rumors to rest. Can you answer this for me … fact or fiction,' he said, according to WCPO. The broadcaster reports that someone at the altar told the NFL players that it wasn't the right time for him to push for more information, but he disagreed. 'I'm sorry, sir, this is the time and the place. I will stand up. … Did the priest use our parish computer to look at pornography?" he said. "You can look at pornography at your house, but you cannot do it here.' Green Township police officers, who were asked to attend the Saturday meeting to keep the peace, then escorted McQuaide out of the church. Captain Mitch Hill of the Green Township Police Department said the NFL player was not detained and has not been charged with a crime. Hill noted that even if a priest had looked at pornography using a church computer, it's not illegal. 'We were not provided any complaints from parishioners, but absent an aggravating factor, viewing pornography in and of itself would not be illegal or cause to launch a criminal investigation,' he told WCPO. The priest at the center of the allegations is reportedly going to be away on a sabbatical that the Archbishop insisted was not related to the rumors. Green Township police have said their investigation found no evidence of crimes committed by any members of the clergy. According to WCPO, more than 700 people from the surrounding area have signed a petition demanding transparency about the issue.
National Post
5 days ago
- General
- National Post
NFL veteran booted from church over porn accusation against priest
A two-time NFL Pro Bowler was removed from a Cincinnati-area church on the weekend after a heated confrontation over accusations against a priest involving pornography. Article content Jack McQuaide, a 14-year NFL veteran, was escorted from Our Lady of the Visitation in Green Township by police on Saturday. Article content Article content The long snapper reportedly was involved in a contentious scene as parishioners sought answers about accusations against priest Martin Bachman, who allegedly viewed pornography on a church computer. Article content McQuaide had been demanding answers from Archdiocese of Cincinnati Chancellor Jason Williams, who was addressing the allegations. Article content Local ABC affiliate WCPO reported that Todd Zureick, a fellow member of the church, said they saw images from a laptop containing 'thumbnails to pornography sites and links to multiple virtual reality role-playing sites involving pornography, sexual assault, group sex, rape and occult themes.' Article content The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Zureick had filed a complaint with the archdiocese earlier this year regarding the accusations. Article content On Saturday, Williams read a letter from Archbishop Robert Casey that dismissed the allegations against Bachman. 'These have been investigated, and no wrongdoing — either criminally or ecclesiastically — has been substantiated … consequently, like gossip, the spreading of rumours is sinful, and we should all work to overcome this tendency of our fallen human nature,' the letter said. Article content McQuaide – who said that he had seen the images — then stepped in, demanding answers. Article content Article content 'Please take a second. We want to put these rumours to rest. Can you answer this for me … fact or fiction,' McQuaide said, according to WCPO. Article content After someone at the altar tried to tell McQuaide that it wasn't the proper time for this interaction, the NFLer reportedly replied: 'I'm sorry, sir, this is the time and the place. I will stand up … Did the priest use our parish computer to look at pornography? … True or false … I am not trespassing. Article content 'You can look at pornography at your house, but you cannot do it here.' Article content McQuaide was then escorted out of the building by Green Township police officers, who had been asked to be at the church in case of disruptions. Article content The long snapper currently is a free agent after spending time last season with the Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins. He played the first 10 seasons of his career with the Rams organization, making the Pro Bowl in 2016 and 2017. Article content
