FORT WAYNE — Bishop Kevin Rhoades has been cleared of any wrongdoing a week after an allegation of misconduct against him out of Pennsylvania surfaced.

The Dauphin County (Pennsylvania) District Attorney’s Office on Thursday said it found “no basis to conclude that Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades ever engaged in a criminal or otherwise improper relationship with a person whom we will refer to as J.T. to protect the privacy of his family.” The office said it found no witnesses reported any criminal or improper conduct by Rhoades, who “fully cooperated” in the investigation.

Last week, the Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg said it had received an allegation of misconduct against Rhoades, who served as bishop of the central Pennsylvania diocese from 2004 to 2009 before moving to the Fort Wayne-South Bend diocese in early 2010. Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo said male victim was around 18 years old when the alleged incident happened.

J.T. died in 1996.

In the wake of last week’s allegation, the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend said in a statement that Rhoades “adamantly denies any validity to this accusation and the insinuation of inappropriate behavior.” The diocese said Rhoades was “confident any investigation will bear this out.”

That has apparently happened.

The district attorney’s office said it learned Rhoades first met “J.T.” at the Dauphin County Prison in 1990. Rhoades offered to allow him do community service at the parish upon his release from prison.

During that service, Rhoades, a teacher, and J.T. traveled to Puerto Rico together, the office said.

The office said it spoke with J.T.’s mother, who said she never had any indication of sexual contact between J.T. and Rhoades, and the teacher who traveled with the pair to Puerto Rico, who said there was no sexual or intimate contact between Rhoades and anyone else during the trip. The office also cleared a report from J.T.’s cousin as an “honest, mistaken recollection and the passage of nearly three decades.”

“All of Bishop Rhoades’ contact with J.T. was in the context of pastoral care and arose out of the recognized tradition of prison ministry,” the office said.

The Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office called the report “unfounded” and harmful to Rhoades.

“This has been a case of a public airing of mere speculation of impropriety with no foundation,” the district attorney’s office wrote. “In this case, the leaking of what turned out to be an unfounded report did unnecessary harm. This has done a disservice to actual victims of sexual abuse  It has also caused significant and unnecessary harm to Bishop Rhoades.”

The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend issued the following statement after Thursday’s report:

“The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend appreciates the swift and thorough investigation into the unsubstantiated allegation against Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades. As anticipated, the investigation exonerated Bishop Rhoades. The district attorney found the allegation was without merit and stated, “After a full investigation, the Dauphin County District Attorney has determined that there is no basis to conclude that Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades ever engaged in a criminal or otherwise improper relationship.” The relationship in question was, “in the context of pastoral care and arose out of the recognized tradition of prison ministry.”

While it’s important that allegations be brought forward, it’s equally important for due process to take place. The result of this investigation underscores the importance of allowing appropriate authorities to determine credibility of accusations before the reputation of any individual is impugned in the court of public opinion.

The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend stands firm in sympathy and support for all victims of child sexual abuse and encourages victims to report allegations. Bishop Rhoades expresses his gratitude for the support he has received from parishioners during the past week. He states, “I have offered up the pain of this difficult time for the victim survivors of child sexual abuse.”

Source: WANE