Father Emil Payer
Diocese of Greensburg
Ordained: 1971
Removed: 2011
Convicted: 2014
Assignment History:
- St. Therese (Uniontown, PA)
- Boniface Roman Catholic Church (Penn Township, PA)
- John the Baptist Church (Scottsdale, PA)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Fr. Emil Payer:
Fr. Emil Payer was ordained a priest in 1971, who served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of Greensburg. According to media reports, in 2014, Fr. Emil Payer was convicted of stealing almost $100,000 from a South Huntingdon church, in which he was ordered to pay back the money and sentenced to ten years’ probation. Fr. Payer was removed from active ministry in 2011 when the theft was discovered, but the diocese said it allowed Payer to continue to live on diocesan property.
According to media reports, in 2018, reports were made by law enforcement officials to the Diocese of Greensburg, alleging that Fr. Payer sexually abused multiple minors and adults in the 1980s. The details of the sexual abuse allegations, including where the alleged abuse occurred, or the victim’s age/gender, is unknown. According to the diocese, Fr. Payer denied the sex abuse allegations, and because the statute of limitations had passed, Payer will not face criminal prosecution.
The Diocese of Greensburg’s investigation found the allegations against Payer to be credible, and he was added to the 2018 list of Clergy Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse of a Minor.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Greensburg. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Pennsylvania, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Greensburg may have legal options, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your legal options today.