On Thursday when an inquiry was made by The Baltimore Banner, the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the Benedictines were first made aware of a settlement that had been entered into by Benedictine Father Paschal Morlino some years ago. The Archdiocese immediately engaged in an internal investigation and within 24 hours, a decision was made to remove Father Morlino as pastor of Saint Benedict Church in Southwest Baltimore by the Archdiocese and the Benedictines and his priestly faculties were jointly suspended. He is no longer permitted to celebrate Mass or engage in public ministry in the Archdiocese. Father Morlino has returned to his religious community, Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pa. The Archdiocese and Benedictines intend to conduct further investigation.
The Archdiocese will appoint a new administrator to oversee Saint Benedict Church, which is owned and operated by the Benedictines. Further investigation by Church authorities into Father Morlino’s tenure will continue.
In 2018, an individual filed a complaint with the Archdiocese involving Father Morlino, citing multiple concerns. The complaint did not include any information at all about the issues that led to the settlement mentioned above. The 2018 complaint centered on Father Morlino’s alleged sexual harassment of an adult man; however, at the time of the complaint the man was deceased, and therefore the third-party allegation could not be corroborated.
Anyone with information about inappropriate conduct by Father Morlino or any representative of the Church is encouraged to contact the Archdiocese of Baltimore by calling the Ethics line at 1-888-572-8026 or by visiting www.archbalt.org and clicking on “Report Misconduct” at the top of the page.