Montgomery County Priest Suspended Over Sexual Abuse Allegations

BETHESDA, MD — A Montgomery County priest has been suspended of his duties over allegations of sexual abuse of minors in Northern Virginia prior to him becoming a priest, according to church officials.

A letter from the Archdiocese of Washington posted on the church’s website says Rev. Robert Buchmeier of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Garrett Park, Maryland, has been accused of sexual abuse of minors “that is reported to have occurred in another diocese decades ago, prior to his ordination to the priesthood.”

The archdiocese “immediately” placed him on administrative leave after learning of the alleged abuse last Friday, Rev. Anthony Lickteig, the archdiocese’s vicar for clergy and secretary for ministerial leadership, wrote in the Sept. 30 letter.

An investigation is being conducted by the Alexandria Police Department, and as of Tuesday, no charges had been filed against Buchmeier, according to the Catholic Standard, the newspaper of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.

In his letter, Lickteig wrote that Buchmeier’s priestly faculties, including his ability to say mass and administer sacraments, were suspended and that he is no longer at the rectory where he had been living.

Lickteig said Holy Cross Church and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington “take seriously our responsibility to protect children entrusted to our care.”

“It is important that you be informed of the facts given the gravity of this matter and our deep commitment to the safety of our youth and the healing of those who have been harmed by abuse,” he wrote.

The allegations were reported last Friday to the Catholic Diocese of Arlington in Virginia, which notified the Alexandria City Police Department and the Archdiocese of Washington.

“After reviewing the preliminary information, the Diocese of Arlington provided the allegations to the Archdiocese of Washington, where Fr. Buchmeier is incardinated, and immediately reported it to Alexandria City Police,” the Diocese of Arlington said in a statement.

Upon request, the Diocese of Arlington said it will participate in any archdiocesan or law enforcement investigation and provide pastoral support and counseling to the alleged victims and their families.

Buchmeier, a native of Spokane, Washington, entered the St. John XXIII National Seminary in Massachusetts in 1987 after serving 15 years as an officer in the U.S. Army’s Medical Service Corps, the Catholic Standard reported. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Washington in 1991.

An Alexandria police spokesman told The Washington Post on Monday that his agency had “just received” the allegation and was investigating it. “We are taking the allegations seriously,” he said.

The Diocese of Arlington said in its statement that it has a zero-tolerance policy for abuse. "No one with a credible accusation of abuse of minors is serving in the Diocese," the diocese said.

In a letter sent Tuesday by Cardinal Wilton Gregory to the Holy Cross community, he invited them to a listening session at the parish at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, followed by a mass. The mass will be livestreamed on the parish website.

"I invite you to join me and members of the archdiocesan staff in the church for prayer, followed by a facilitated question-and-answer session, and concluding with Mass," Gregory said in the letter. "Due to the sensitive nature of our conversation, children should not attend this prayer service and discussion. Childcare will be available for those who wish to attend."

The Archdiocese of Washington is encouraging anyone with information that may be helpful to the authorities to contact the Alexandria Police Department, Criminal Investigations Division, at 703-746-4444. Also, the archdiocese is asking parishioners to contact Courtney Chase, executive director of the Archdiocese’s Office of Child Protection & Safe Environment, at 301-853-5302 if they become aware of improper conduct by anyone in archdiocesan ministry.

According to WJLA, Buchmeier has served at several Maryland churches, including St. John the Evangelist in Clinton; St. Bernardine of Siena in Hillcrest Heights; St. Mary’s in Bryantown; Holy Family in Mitchellville; St. Nicholas in Laurel; St. Columba in Oxon Hill; Sacred Heart in La Plata; Christ the King in Silver Spring; and Holy Cross Catholic Church in Garrett Park.