CV NEWS FEED // The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this week issued an urgent warning about an unidentified man coming into churches throughout the diocese and disturbing Mass.
The man has interrupted Mass in 10 different churches in the Diocese within the last several weeks, according to news outlet the Cranberry Eagle.
On April 17, during a noon daily Mass at St. Sebastian Church, the man yelled at the priest during the distribution of Holy Communion.
According to local news outlet WPXI-TV, the statement from the Diocese reads, “He slowly approached Fr. Dale (the pastor) from the back of the church, got in his face and started yelling that he was the devil or some other unkind words.”
The statement added that the man fled immediately after yelling at the priest. None of the parishioners or members of the church said they had seen him before.
Longtime St. Sebastian Church parishioner Donald Costa told local news outlet WPXI-TV, “I just think it’s very inappropriate. That’s supposed to be a place of worship and love and peace and quiet and niceness, and he comes in and he’s a goofball. If it became a physical issue, I’d have to intervene.”
The warning statement included a photo of the suspect caught on a security camera. Police and the Diocese are currently investigating.
Also on April 17, Sharon Loughran Brown, the Diocese’s assistant superintendent, sent a letter to parents informing them of recent violent threats made via email to a diocesan school.
Conservative political commentator Steven Crowder posted a copy of the letter on his X account on April 18.
One of the Diocese’s schools “received two concerning emails through the area of their website where people can request a tour,” Brown wrote, noting that the information was reported to law enforcement and diocesan security. “We have been advised that other private schools and houses of worship throughout Western Pennsylvania received similar emails.”
The FBI is working with local law enforcement and diocesan security to investigate the threats.
“In an abundance of caution, officers were assigned to the school that received the concerning email, and parents were alerted,” Brown added.
In light of the threats, the FBI issued an advisory, which Brown highlighted in the letter.
“The FBI is aware of numerous threats of violence communicated to schools and houses of worship in Western Pennsylvania over the last 48 hours,” the advisory reads. “While we have no information to indicate a specific and credible threat, we continue to partner with local law enforcement to investigate threat information as it comes to our attention.”
The advisory urged the public to stay vigilant and to report suspicious activity by calling 911 or 1-800-CALL-FBI or by submitting a tip at tips.fbi.gov.
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