Greg Flohr
Ordained:
Diocese: Diocese of Greensburg
From Report I of the 40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:
A Victim Assistance Coordinator in the Diocese of San Bernardino, California received an allegation in November 2004 regarding Father Gregory Flohr of the Diocese of Greensburg. The abuse allegedly occurred when the victim was approximately 10 or 11 years old in 1967 to 1968 and attended Immaculate Conception school in Irwin. The Office of Catholic Schools had a record that the victim attended Immaculate Conception from 1965 to 1969.
According to the victim, when he became an altar server in 1965, Flohr was the leader of the Junior Altar Boys Association. While Flohr always paid him special attention, he did not begin abusing him until 1967. Flohr allegedly touched the victim’s genitals for the first time while saying “God loved all His children.”
The abuse escalated to Flohr instructing the victim on how to touch Flohr’s genitals. However, the victim “reportedly displayed reluctance to do so, the priest reportedly sat the [victim] on his knee while he touched the [victim’s] genitals, showing him what the priest wanted him to do.” Flohr then took the victim’s hands and placed them on his own genitals.
The abuse further escalated to oral sex. Flohr wanted the victim to “kiss the priest’s genitals.” When he did not do so in a manner to Flohr’s liking, Flohr performed oral sex on the victim to show him how it was to be performed. Flohr continued to force the victim to perform oral sex on him for one year.
Flohr’s final act of sexual abuse against the victim occurred in November 1969, when Flohr allegedly took the victim into the confessional of the Immaculate Conception church and began kissing him and tied him up with rope into a “praying position.” The victim began to scream, so Flohr tried to silence him by forcing his penis into his mouth. “When the [victim] refused the priest allegedly became angry and sodomized the [victim] with a crucifix approximately 7”x 5”x 1” in size.” Flohr then stated that the victim was a “bad boy” and let him go. Following this incident, the victim deliberately set the church carpet on fire.
Between 2005 and 2007, the Diocese of Greensburg reimbursed the victim for 107 therapy sessions, eight hospitalizations, and four medication bills; a value totaling $51,163. According to a letter to the victim from Father Lawrence Persico;
“It is not now, or ever has been the policy of the Diocese of Greensburg to provide financial support for hospitalization, direct medical treatment, or medication. We extended such coverage to you only after the fact of your multiple emergency treatments, and as an act of Christian charity in your dire need.”
Flohr died in 2004.
Additional information regarding the widespread sexual abuse of children within the Catholic Dioceses of Pennsylvania and the systemic cover up by senior church officials is compiled in the Pennsylvania Diocese Victim’s Report published by the Pennsylvania Attorney General following a two-year grand jury investigation. A complete copy of the Report is available on the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s website.
