IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A longtime Roman Catholic priest in Iowa has been removed from the ministry indefinitely after a girl complained a year ago that he improperly touched her, a diocese has confirmed.
The fourth-grader alleged that the Rev. Brian Danner of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Humboldt rubbed the top of her leg while taking her confession, the Diocese of Sioux City told The Associated Press. The girl’s parents were “extremely upset” and complained to church officials, recalled diocese lawyer Michael Ellwanger.
The diocese reported the incident to the county attorney last December and has revoked Danner’s ability to function as a priest indefinitely. Its review found that Danner’s actions were inappropriate but didn’t constitute sexual abuse, Ellwanger said.
Authorities did not pursue a criminal investigation after the girl’s parents said through a representative that they were unsure whether they wanted to move forward and never followed up, Humboldt County Attorney Jon Beaty said.
The news comes as the diocese is under scrutiny after acknowledging last month that it had covered up the Rev. Jerome Coyle’s 1986 admission that he had sexually abused 50 boys over the prior 20 years. A total of four men have now come forward saying they were victimized by Coyle, Ellwanger said.
Danner, 51, has been with the diocese since 1995, serving throughout northwestern Iowa, including at parishes in Mapleton, Storm Lake, Fort Dodge, Sioux City, and Rockwell City. He helped Mapleton residents recover from a devastating 2011 tornado and was involved in last year’s closure of a church in Gilmore City.
