On May 28, 2024, Greensburg Bishop Larry Kulick accused Father John Moineau, a beloved Diocese of Greensburg priest battling pancreatic cancer, of a conspiracy to hide the past criminal record of an employee accused of a crime, in an auditorium packed with parishioners. Moineau would later be exonerated of the bishop’s conspiracy charges by the district attorney’s office and by a canonical investigation team commissioned by the bishop.
The bishop, I believe out of fear of a scandal potentially bankrupting the diocese, immediately judged Moineau as guilty and proceeded to publicly excoriate and punish him. Moineau died in October without Kulick ever restoring the dignity he took from him.
And now, a priest in the diocese accused March 23 of sex crimes has since been criminally charged. This priest was removed from active ministry in August 2018 per the recommendation of the diocesan Clergy Review Board, yet he remained a resident at Christ Our Shepherd Center, which houses a retirement facility for diocesan priests, until his recent arrest.
Bishop Kulick, you were the vicar general for the diocese in 2018 and the bishop since 2020 and would have been aware of the results of the Clergy Review Board. Why should we not judge you as guilty, as you had unfairly judged Father John Moineau?
Chris Peta
Penn Township, Westmoreland County