The Virginia priest noted below.

Pled guilty, but says he’s innocent

Even though he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery against two teenage boys, the Rev. John E. Leonard insists he is innocent of any sexual misconduct.

“I realize that it is difficult to understand why someone would plead guilty to anything if he/she did nothing wrong . . . I run the risk that some will see my decision as an admission that I did what was alleged. That is simply not the case,” Leonard wrote in a letter to parishioners at St. Michael Catholic Church in Glen Allen, where he is the founding pastor.

….In a statement yesterday, the Most Rev. Walter F. Sullivan, bishop emeritus of the diocese, said the diocesan sexual-review board “will review all the information and make any final recommendations they might have to offer.”

Through a spokesman, Cardinal William Keeler, archbishop of Baltimore, who is governing the Richmond diocese until a new bishop is named, echoed Sullivan’s statement.

However, Leonard’s letter to his parishioners, dated Tuesday, said the plea agreement had been reviewed by the Richmond diocese and “in no way constitutes a violation of nor grounds for dismissal under either the diocesan or [U.S. church] guidelines. Confirming this was a significant factor in my decision to concede to this plea.”