Release Date: September 16, 2025
Information from the Pastoral Center of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati regarding Fr. Edward Burns:
As recently announced at weekend Masses, Fr. Edward Burns was placed on administrative leave by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati pending an investigation. An administrative leave does not entail a presumption of guilt.
At St. Michael the Archangel Parish, where Fr. Burns has been pastor since 2018, a computer that had been used by Fr. Burns was being repurposed. During that process, an employee uncovered the possibility that concerning websites were accessed, including pornography sites. This information was brought to the attention of the Pastoral Center and then reported by the Pastoral Center to law enforcement for their review.
Fr. Burns will remain on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. While on administrative leave Fr. Burns is not present in the parish offices and will not be on school campuses.
As this is an open investigation, we have no additional information to share at this time.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati is the 45th largest Catholic diocese in the country, with nearly 440,000 Catholics, and has the fifth largest Catholic school system in terms of enrollment with more than 40,000 students. The 19-county territory includes 199 canonical parishes organized into 57 Families of Parishes, and 108 Catholic primary and secondary schools.
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Jennifer Schack
Director of Media Relations
Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Office | 513.263.6618
Cell | 859.512.5626
