Top official in US Catholic Church resigns after 'cellphone data revealed he used gay dating app Grindr and visited gay bars'
On Tuesday, Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill resigned as General Security of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, after media reports alleged 'possible improper behavior'
A top Catholic Church official has resigned after it was alleged that he was a regular user of gay dating app Grindr and frequented LGBTQ bars.
On Tuesday, Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill resigned as General Security of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, after media reports alleged 'possible improper behavior' the National Catholic Reporter reported.
Catholic news site The Pillar said it had analyzed data linked to his cellphone which alleged he had used Grindr.
The resignation announcement came from a July 20 memo from Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles to the bishops of the United States.
'On Monday, we became aware of impending media reports alleging possible improper behavior by Msgr. Burrill,' wrote Gomez, president of the U.S. bishops' conference.
'What was shared with us did not include allegations of misconduct with minors. However, in order to avoid becoming a distraction to the operations and ongoing work of the Conference, Monsignor has resigned effective immediately,' he added.
A day later, The Pillar reported it had obtained information based on the data Grindr collects from its users, and hired an independent firm to analyze it.
'The data obtained and analyzed by The Pillar conveys mobile app date signals during two 26-week periods, the first in 2018 and the second in 2019 and 2020,' the publication reported.
'The data was obtained from a data vendor and authenticated by an independent data consulting firm contracted by The Pillar.'
The announcement came from a July 20 memo the NCR obtained by Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles to the bishops of the United States
It is unclear who the vendor was, whether the Pillar purchased the information, or if they received it from a third party.
The publication also alleges that app data 'correlated' to Burrill's phone shows that the priest frequented gay bars, even while traveling on assignment for the USCCB.
'According to commercially available records of app signal data obtained by The Pillar, a mobile device correlated to Burrill emitted app data signals from the location-based hookup app Grindr on a near-daily basis during parts of 2018, 2019, and 2020 — at both his USCCB office and his USCCB-owned residence, as well as during USCCB meetings and events in other cities,' The Pillar reported.
Grindr is location-based social networking app that allows users to view nearby users on app. Individuals can chat, exchange images, or arrange to meet up with nearby users for an anonymous sexual encounter.
According to commercially available records of app signal data obtained by The Pillar, a mobile device correlated to Burrill emitted app data signals from the location-based hookup app Grindr on a near-daily basis during parts of 2018, 2019, and 2020
In addition, Burrill is a priest of the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin. and was named associate general of the bishops' conference in 2016.
Burrill, was first named general secretary of the USCCB last November, which is a position that coordinates all administrative work and planning for the conference - the country's network for Catholic bishops.
He was the highest-ranking American cleric who is not a bishop.
In addition, Burrill is a priest of the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin. and was named associate general of the bishops' conference in 2016. He was responsible for helping to coordinate the U.S. bishops' response to the Church's 2018 sexual abuse and coercion scandals.
Prior to that, Burrill was a pastor of St. Bronislava Church in Plover in central Wisconsin and from 2009 to 2013.
As a priest, he is required to take a vow of celibacy.
In his memo, Gomez mentions current associate general, Fr. Michael Fuller will take over as interim general secretary until a new general secretary is elected by the bishops.
Fuller, a priest of the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois, is the former executive director of the conference's Secretariat for Doctrine and Canonical Affairs.
Calls to USCCB from DailyMail.com went unanswered.