Pittsburgh-Area Priest Bartley Sorensen Jailed for Viewing Child Porn In Rectory

Rev. Father Bartley Sorensen

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

As I have always said, you know when it’s bed time in a rectory? It’s when the big hand touches the little hand.

Meet Rev. Father Bartley Sorensen, the priest at St. John Fisher Church in Churchill. Things must have been pretty lonesome in the rectory, because the good “Father” was allegedly caught viewing child pornography involving a young boy.

According to the complaint, a church employee stopped by the rectory. After announcing her presence, she started up the stairs. While climbing the stairs, she reported hearing some fast and furious clicking noises – specifically resembling computer mouse clicks.

Once at the top of the stairs, she noticed Sorensen’s computer with multiple windows minimized. Looks like he missed one, however, revealing a young boy between 5 to 10-years-old with the words ‘Hottie Boy’ across the top of the screen. She stated that she saw that the boy had a shirt on and nothing else.”

And, like a good Catholic, the employee contacted the Catholic Child Abuse Hotline. On Friday night, police executed a search warrant and questioned Sorensen. The criminal complaint reports that investigators “found several still image files depicting prepubescent males either posed naked or engaged in sexual activity with other prepubescent males or adult males.”

Investigators say Father Sorensen admitted “that he possessed and viewed at least 100 images of child pornography.”

Sorensen is behind bars in the Allegheny County Jail on $100,000 bond. A judge ordered him to undergo a behavioral evaluation.

He is expected back in court on Dec. 19.

Sorensen has been a priest for 35 years. Prior to St. John Fisher, he was at St. Anne in Castle Shannon. He resigned Saturday. The case will also be investigated by the Vatican (which makes me feel soooo much better).