Lawrence Harold Welsh
Lawrence Harold Welsh (born February 1, 1935 in Winton , Wyoming , † January 13, 1999 in Saint Paul , Minnesota ) was an American Roman Catholic clergyman. Welsh was bishop of the Diocese of Spokane .
Life
Lawrence Welsh graduated from the University of Wyoming and Saint John's University in Collegeville ( Minnesota ). Also in Collegeville, he attended St. John's Seminary , a seminary for prospective priests. On 26 May 1962 he was in Rapid City ( South Dakota ) for ordained priests . He then became a chaplain in the Church of St. Paul in Belle Fourche , the Seat of Butte County , later at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Rapid City. From 1973 to 1978 he was Chancellor of the Rapid City Diocese .
On November 6, 1978 Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of the Diocese of Spokane. The episcopal ordination took place on December 14, 1978, celebrated by Archbishop Raymond Gerhardt Hunthausen and the co-consecrators, Bishops Harold Joseph Dimmerling and Bernard Joseph Topel .
scandal
However, Welsh did not go down in the history of his diocese as a churchman, but as someone who was responsible for a sex scandal. In early August 1986, he was at a convention of the Knights of Columbus , where he belonged, in Chicago ( Illinois ). He moved into his accommodation at the Chicago Hilton . On August 8, in a bar, Welsh met a young prostitute with a drug problem, with whom he went to a hotel room. According to the young man, Welsh wanted to help financially but also with advice. After that there are different versions of the incident. It can be agreed that Welsh and the young man had oral sex . Welsh always denied whether Welsh choked the young man to the point of unconsciousness, as he accused the bishop. At the end of September 1986, two policemen stood outside Welsh's door and questioned him about the incident. He cooperated with the officers, only confessed to oral sex. He subsequently offered that he wanted to be placed under the supervision of a bishop and named Archbishop Hunthausen. The investigators were satisfied with Archbishop Hunthausen's assurance that Welsh would seek psychiatric care. The investigation into the abuse case, if it was one, was discontinued.
Although all of the victims in the series of murders were women, Welsh was even briefly listed as a "Class C" suspect in the Green River series of murders in Washington State .
Welsh became increasingly intolerable for his diocese in the late 1980s. In addition to his own offense and his own contacts with homosexuals, he is said to have successfully defended other priests in his diocese when these children are said to have sexually abused. He is said to have transferred a priest to another parish when three families claimed that this priest had molested their children.
Late life
When Welsh was stopped drunk at the wheel of his car several times, the Vatican responded . On April 17, 1990, Welsh was relieved of his duties as bishop. He had to leave Spokane and moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota. Here Welsh was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and titular bishop of Aulona on November 5, 1991 .
He died on January 13, 1999 at the age of 63.
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Bernard Joseph Topel |
Bishop of Spokane 1978–1990 |
William Stephen Skylstad |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Welsh, Lawrence Harold |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Welsh, Lawrence |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American clergyman, Bishop of Spokane |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 1, 1935 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Winton , Wyoming |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 13, 1999 |
| Place of death | Saint Paul , Minnesota |