Vatican bans former Mansfield priest from public ministry over sex abuse allegations
A former priest who once served at two parishes in the Mansfield area has been banned from public ministry by the Vatican because of allegations he sexually abused minors more than 25 years ago.
The Diocese of Toledo announced the final decision regarding the Rev. Nelson Beaver on Friday.
According to a news release from the Toledo diocese, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, an office of the Vatican's Roman Curia, "having fully reviewed the canonical case presented by (Toledo) Bishop (Daniel) Thomas, has made its judgment and a final determination of guilt concerning the allegations of sexual abuse of minors brought against Beaver.
"The Holy See has imposed the penalty of perpetual prohibition from public ministry (prayer and penance)."
“Prayer and penance” is the permanent removal from priestly ministry whereby the offender is not permitted to celebrate Mass publicly or to administer the Sacraments. He may not wear clerical attire or present himself publicly as a priest. The cleric, who remains ordained as a Roman Catholic priest, is placed under the supervision of the Diocese of Toledo.
Bishop Thomas of Toledo accepted the review board’s recommendation in October 2019 that Beaver is not suitable for priestly ministry and presented the canonical case to the Pope and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome for their full review and final determination.
Beaver assigned to Richland County from 2005-18
Beaver was pastor of Resurrection Parish in Lexington from 2005-18 and St. Mary of the Snows Parish in Mansfield from 2010-18. There were no allegations of wrongdoing while he was in Richland County.
Beaver was placed on administrative leave in October 2018 following an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor dating back more than 25 years. Three other allegations of sexual abuse of a minor from a similar time period were subsequently made against Beaver.
Zach Hiner, executive director of the Chicago-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, urged church officials to release more details.
"Now that Beaver has been sentenced to a lifetime of 'prayer and penance' by his employer, we call on church officials in Toledo to share details with parishioners and parents about how they plan to supervise Beaver and other abusers who have been remanded to their care," Hiner said in an email to the News Journal. "The public deserves answers on how the church plans to prevent any future cases of abuse from known abusers like Beaver that they employed, trained and ordained."
According to diocesan policy, the four allegations were reported to county prosecutors in Huron, Lucas and Williams counties, where the alleged abuse took place.
Only after all of the prosecutors determined that they would not pursue the allegations (July 2019) was the diocese then free to conduct its own investigation, according to the news release.
In October 2019, the diocese announced that the investigation had been completed. The Diocesan Review Board found all four allegations to be substantiated and voted unanimously that Beaver was not suitable for priestly ministry.
Executive director of SNAP criticizes time lapse in decision
"We find it disturbing that it took church officials in Rome three years to take action after church officials in Toledo themselves had substantiated the allegations against Beaver, but we are glad that a decision has finally been reached and that some semblance of accountability has been meted out in this case," Hiner said.
"We hope that this decision gives some peace to the four brave victims who came forward and hope that this news will help them along their healing journey."
According to a 2011 News Journal story, Beaver grew up in a Lutheran family and attended Capital University and Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus before going to Yale University's Divinity School.
Beaver was ordained into the Lutheran ministry in 1969 and served as pastor of First English Lutheran Church in Gibsonburg until 1972. Later that year, when he was 30, Beaver was received into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.
He previously denied the allegations against him.
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Former Richland County, Ohio, priest banned Catholic Church
