Former Cherry Hill Priest Accused Of Sexual Abuse: Diocese

A parish administrator at a Collingswood church has been asked to leave the parish due to accusations of sexual abuse stemming from his time as a priest in Cherry Hill, officials announced.

Father John Bohrer was first accused of sexual abuse in 2002. However, he was allowed to remain in the priesthood for another nine years - serving in Cherry Hill and then Collingswood - before being asked to leave.

Over the weekend, Bohrer announced that he would be leaving Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Collingswood effective Dec. 31, 2018, according to the Diocese of Camden. Bohrer announced he was retiring for health reasons, and had been asked to leave the ministry due to the allegations.

The accusations date back to his time with St. Pius X in Cherry Hill in the mid 1980s, according to the diocese. It was reported to the diocese in October 2002. The incident was then reported to law enforcement, even though the statute of limitations had run out.

Bohrer was then removed from the ministry. His actions were investigated by the diocese and then by the Vatican, according to the diocese. It was determined the allegations didn’t meet the bar for permanent removal from the priesthood.

He returned to the ministry in 2009 as a nursing home resident chaplain, and then parochial vicar. In 2011, he took on the role of administrator of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, where he served for eight years without incident, according to the diocese.

The accusation came to light again as the Diocese of Camden prepares to release the names of all credibly accused priests in the diocese.

“In keeping with the criteria of United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s ‘Charter for the Protection of Young People’ and the diocese’s own zero tolerance policy, Father Bohrer resigned his position and was removed from ministry,” the diocese said in a statement. “As a diocese, we continue to pray for all victims and survivors of sexual abuse and for their healing.”

The Diocese of Camden encourages anyone who has suffered abuse to report it to law enforcement authorities. Anyone who is hesitant for any reason, can call the diocese’s toll-free number (1-800-964-6588) to facilitate reporting. This number can be found on the diocesan website and also is available to victims who wish to arrange for professional counseling.

“The diocese remains committed to providing safe environments in our parishes, schools and ministries,” the diocese said. “We provide safe environment training to all of the children in our schools and religious education programs. This training enables them to recognize what constitutes physical and sexual abuse, and empowers them to report that to a caring adult. We also provide training to all adults – priests, religious and laity – who are in regular contact with children to recognize warning signs of abuse, and to provide them with the knowledge of when and how to report to the appropriate authorities. The Diocese also requires all priests, clergy and laity who have regular contact with children to have passed criminal history background checks.”

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