The leader of an independent Catholic denomination headquartered in Columbus said he is tightening background checks for clergy after discovering that a priest is a convicted child molester. The Reformed Catholic Church ordained the priest, Sean-Michael Lyons, a violation of the church's zero-tolerance policy for sex offenders, said Archbishop Phillip Zimmerman, worldwide leader of the church.
Lyons lied about his past, and the background check on him in Pennsylvania, where he lived when ordained, turned up no red flags, Zimmerman said.
He said the church erred in relying solely on local law-enforcement background checks but did act properly after finding out about Lyons' 1980s conviction in February 2007.
The Reformed Catholic Church is a worldwide, independent group of nearly 10 bishops, including Zimmerman, and about 190 priests.
The denomination identifies as Catholic but does not answer to the Roman Catholic pope.
It allows female and married priests, among other theological differences with Roman Catholicism.
After learning of Lyons' record, church officials permanently removed all his priestly "faculties" 2 1/2 years ago, Zimmerman said.
That means he could no longer preside over Mass, hear confession or perform other daily duties.
The zero-tolerance policy says sex offenders also must be "laicized," or defrocked, which didn't happen until this month.
Zimmerman officially stripped Lyons of his title just weeks after the denomination's bishops voted to allow him to participate in Masses during their annual churchwide meeting, or synod.
The synod took place in Columbus, at the Ascension of Our Lord Basilica of the Reformed Catholic Church at 787 E. Broad St., from Oct. 5 to 10, 2009.
After he was removed from his duties, Lyons continued to help the church with projects, Zimmerman said. He helped develop a training course for clergy.
His hard work was one reason the bishops voted to allow him to wear traditional priestly garments and participate in the procession in and out of church with other clergy during synod Masses, Zimmerman said.
"The decision was made to let him do that as an act of charity, but that it could go no further. Was it a good decision? I don't think it was, in hindsight."
Bishop Laura M. Grimes of Dayton said Zimmerman removed her from her position at his church after she protested that Lyons was allowed to participate in the synod and that he hadn't yet been defrocked.
She also concelebrated a bilingual Mass with Lyons on Oct. 11, she said. Zimmerman said he didn't know about that until it was over.
About 115 people worship at three masses at the Ascension church each Sunday.
Grimes is a bishop in the Sophia Catholic Communion, a small independent order that was briefly aligned with the Reformed Catholic Church.
She said Zimmerman pressured the bishops to vote to allow Lyons to participate, in part because they are friends.
The bishops also voted to give Lyons an honorary degree from their online seminary, Holy Cross.
It hasn't been presented, Zimmerman said.
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SIC: Columbus Dispatch