Pastor steps down as feds search Olney church
The pastor of Incarnation of Our Lord Parish in Olney stepped aside this week after federal immigration authorities produced a search warrant at the parish rectory.
The pastor of Incarnation of Our Lord Parish in Olney stepped aside this week after federal immigration authorities produced a search warrant at the parish rectory.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia said last night that Rev. Geraldo J. Pinero "stepped down from his assignment for the good of the parish, pending the outcome of this investigation."
It was unclear what, exactly, had triggered the investigation. The warrant was served Tuesday by investigators from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Mark Medvesky, an ICE spokesman, declined to comment when asked if investigators confiscated any items from the rectory.
Medvesky did note that no priests were detained or arrested.
Cardinal Justin Rigali has appointed the Archdiocese's vicar for Hispanic Catholics, Monsignor Hugh Shields, as the administrator of Incarnation of Our Lord, at Lindley Avenue near 4th Street.
The church community is made up of Colombians, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and other nationalities, according to its website and those familiar with the church. Incarnation of Our Lord also has a school on site and offers an array of social services to the parish.
According to its website, the church serves as "the spiritual home to a Catholic community from all over the world - a community that worships God in Creole, English, Malayalam, Portuguese and Spanish."
