Here's what we know about the sexual misconduct allegation against an Evansville priest

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The Catholic Diocese of Evansville disclosed Wednesday that the Rev. Bernie Etienne had been accused of sexual misconduct.

Etienne has been placed on administrative leave and is not allowed to perform public ministry while an investigation unfolds. He denies the accusation.

Here's what we know about the situation so far.

Who is Bernie Etienne?

Etienne is currently serving as pastor of Holy Rosary Parish in Evansville, but he's had a variety of prominent diocese positions over the years.

Etienne ran a medical supply business before he decided to prepare for the priesthood in the mid-1980s, according to archives of the Catholic Diocese of Evansville newspaper The Message. After earning a bachelor's degree in sacred theology and a master's degree in divinity from Mundelein Seminary, Etienne was ordained in 1993 at the age of 35.

More: Catholic Diocese of Evansville priest accused of sexual misconduct

Etienne's first post was in Jasper at St. Joseph Catholic Church, where he served as an associate pastor until 1996. Starting in 1995, he also served as the diocesan director of vocations, a position he held until 2010.

From the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, Etienne was a pastor at two Gibson County churches: St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Princeton and Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Oakland City.

Etienne was a Teens Encounter Christ chaplain from 1998 to 2001, and also briefly served as dean of the Princeton Deanery in the mid 2000s. Since then, he's been based in the Evansville area.

Accusation against Holy Rosary priest

Not much is known at this time.

According to diocese spokesman Tim Lilley, the incident allegedly occurred more than 20 years ago. Lilley did not disclose the age or gender of the alleged victim, and hasn't released any other details.

The diocese did not specify where Etienne was stationed at the time of the incident, and Lilly said the church will make no further comment at this time.

Who will investigate the claim?

Lilley said the allegation will be investigated by "civil authorities," meaning law enforcement, and the Diocesan Review Board, a body that responds at the local level to alleged sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests and deacons.

Diocesan review boards stem from a set of church policies adopted by U.S. Catholic bishops in the early 2000s after the Boston Globe and other media outlets determined the Catholic Church protected pedophile priests for decades.

The Diocese of Evansville review board investigates allegations of sexual abuse to determine if claims are "believable and plausible," according to diocese records. For the church to deem an allegation "credible," a bishop also has to agree with the review board's conclusion, or the priest must admit the abuse occurred.

At the time of the alleged abuse, Etienne was stationed in Gibson and DuBois counties, according to diocese records. The Courier & Press left messages with Gibson and DuBois county prosecutors but did not hear back prior to publication.

Evansville Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Anna Gray said the allegation had not been brought to EPD investigators, and Vanderburgh County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Jess Powers said she has not been notified regarding an investigation.

Etienne has two brothers who are also priests

Zach Etienne is the pastor at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Evansville. Paul Etienne, meanwhile, serves as the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle.

In 2020 and 2021, a Seattle group called "Heal Our Church" pushed Paul Etienne to open the archdiocese’s record on accused priests to a public review. The collective was led by former federal prosecutors, a retired judge and an ex-priest, among others.

“But so far, Etienne has responded with only impersonal, pro-forma letters that dispute the necessity for such an initiative,” the Seattle Times wrote last year.

Representatives from Heal Our Church didn't respond to a request for comment from the Courier & Press.

From 2019: List of Evansville Diocese priests accused includes one in active ministry until 3 days ago

The diocese's list

In February 2019, the Diocese of Evansville released a list of all the clergymen it claimed had been “credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors” throughout the diocese’s history.

It included 12 names. One – the Rev. Jean Vogler, who was arrested in a federal child pornography sting in 1996 and allowed to return to work after being released from prison and undergoing psychiatric treatment – was removed from active ministry only three days before the list went public.

It didn’t include the names any accused priest the church considered cleared through diocesan review.

Those named on the list are: Michael Allen; John Breidenbach; Joseph Clauss; James Clements; Wilfred Englert; Mark Kurzendoerfer; Arthur Mergen; Othmar Schroeder; Richard Wildeman; Jean Vogler; Warren Heitz; and Robert Woerdeman.

Another priest on leave

Bernie Etienne is the now the second diocese priest on administrative leave.

The Rev. David Fleck was barred from public ministry in 2018. According to a letter the diocese wrote to the Knox County Prosecutor’s office that was later obtained by the Vincennes Sun-Commercial, Fleck was accused of “soliciting” two males while teaching at Vincennes Rivet High School in the 1980s.

A third was allegedly solicited in a separate incident. According to the letter, the accuser wasn’t one of the purported victims.

Fleck denies the claim. No criminal charges have been filed.

The diocese has declined to provide updates on Fleck’s case. A clergy directory on the diocese’s website that was last updated in January still lists him as being on administrative leave.

Etienne once supervised abusive priest

Former Evansville priest Mark Kurzendoerfer admitted to having sexual contact with or making sexual advances toward minors over the course of several years. There were four “credible” accusations against him before he was removed from ministry in 2002, the diocese claims.

The Courier & Press reported in '02 that former Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger found out in 1990 that Kurzendoerfer had previously sexually abused an underaged boy. The church sent him to treatment and then put him back into active ministry. The public wasn’t told until years later.

According to the Courier & Press archives, Gettelfinger imposed restrictions on Kurzendoerfer when he returned. He could continue to work, but he wasn't allowed to interact with children.

Gettelfinger didn't tell many people about the restrictions.

Speaking to angry parishioners at Sts. Peters and Paul Catholic Church after Kurzendoerfer was ultimately removed from the ministry, Gettelfinger admitted he was “wrong” and that he regretted his “failure to find a way to communicate what you had a right to know.”

Kurzendoerfer reportedly continued to have private counseling sessions with kids, parents told the Courier & Press in 2002. He took some out for ice cream. Not even the principal of the school where Kurzendoerfer worked knew about the restrictions.

Neither did two priests who were supposed to supervise Kurzendoerfer — one of whom was Etienne.

They only thought the priest was barred from ministering to teens. They continued allowing him to work with younger children, the Courier & Press reported.

The other supervising priest was also later accused of sexual misconduct, but his name isn’t included on the diocese’s list of accusations.

Contact Jon Webb at jon.webb@courierpress.com

Houston Harwood can be contacted at walter.harwood@courierpress.com with story ideas and questions. Twitter: @houston_whh | Instagram: @harwoodhouston

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Accusation made against Father Bernie Etienne, Evansville priest