A pastor at a Catholic church in Nebraska is out of a job after he reportedly asked students inappropriate questions during confession.
The Omaha World-Herald reports that Rev. Nicholas Mishek, 26, has been dismissed from his position at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church in Omaha following complaints that he asked middle-school students questions about masturbation and pornography during confession.
Deacon Tim McNeil, chancellor and spokesman for the Archdiocese of Omaha, addressed the incident in a statement:
“There was this line of questioning that’s unacceptable, and he asked two questions that are particularly unacceptable. And parents reacted strongly, and should have, and we responded to that.”
School officials also sent a letter to parents explaining the incident and announcing Rev. Mishek’s dismissal. The letter reportedly states that a parent came forward on Friday to report that the priest had asked the inappropriate questions during confession the day before. Several other parents followed with reports that their seventh- and eight-graders had been asked questions about masturbation and pornography.
The priest also allegedly asked questions of a similar nature to fifth- and sixth-graders, regarding their consumption of media, but those questions were not as explicit as those he asked the older students.
“We are grateful to those parents who came forward and notified us in such a timely way,” the school officials reportedly wrote in the letter.
“Because of their quick response, we were able to take necessary steps immediately. We especially want to thank our brave students who knew this was inappropriate and voiced their concerns to their parents.”
Deacon McNeil reportedly noted that Rev. Mishek is inexperienced — he was ordained in June — and characterized the questioning as a lapse in judgement. The Archdiocese is reportedly giving the priest an opportunity to review his seminary training, though it is not known if or under what conditions he may be offered future positions.
