Local Parishioners Rally for Accountability
Earlier this year, parishioners at three local Catholic parishes—including Visitation—started a petition demanding “transparency and leadership accountability.” Some of their concerns stem from a consolidation of parishes and schools a few years ago.
Archbishop Casey wrote in his letter that change can be difficult, and “things may not always unfold according to our personal preferences.”
Parishioners also started a Facebook group to discuss the scandal and the recent Mass disruption. “I sat in the pew crying for our Church, our people and community,” someone wrote about Saturday’s incident. “I don’t even recognize [my parish] anymore, and that breaks my heart most of all.”
RELATED: Sexual Abuse Whistleblowers Amy Smith, Dee Parsons Receive National Attention
Another parishioner contacted a local news station to share a different angle. Calling Father Bachman “holy & devout,” she wrote in an email that unhappy church members have “banded together” to try to get rid of Visitation clergy.
Priest May Have Been a Victim of ‘Sextortion’ in 2023
In December 2023, Green Township police investigated a separate complaint made from an archdiocese-owned house that matches Bachman’s address. The complainant, whose name is redacted from the police report, claimed to have been the victim of telecommunications fraud.
After the complainant deposited $58,000 into what he thought was an investment account, he received a demand for more money. A female perpetrator allegedly threatened to send “to his parishes” screenshots of the pair’s explicit conversations, saying, “I will hurt you.”
According to the police report, the victim admitted those “conversations were sexual in nature, which is breaking his policies with the parishes.” His money was never recovered.
Archbishop Casey’s letter, which Williams read from the pulpit last weekend, didn’t mention that “sextortion” investigation.
ChurchLeaders reached out to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to request any additional comment—and to ask if Bachman had a statement. We will update this article with any reply.
