A top American Catholic priest who wasforced to resignafter a newsletter confirmed him as afrequent userof the dating appGrindrhas decided tosue the companyfor “reputational damage.”
HighlightsPriest Jeffrey Burrill sues Grindr for ‘reputational damage’ after his data forced him to resign.The Ex Monsignor was ousted in 2021, after he was confirmed to have been a regular user of the dating app.The lawsuit alleges that Grindr failed to protect Burrill’s data, leading to ‘significant damage’ to his livelihood.
The lawsuit, filed in the California Superior Court, alleges thatGrindrfailed to protect his client’s data or inform him of its ease of access, resulting in “significant damage” to his livelihood.
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A high-ranking member of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops is suing Grindr after his personal data was used to force him to retire
Image credits:Catholic News Service
According toThe Pillar, the information was obtained using a combination of data and location signals correlated to Burrill’s mobile device, as well as other records of his usage and in-app purchases, all of which were “publicly available.”
Jeffrey Burrill began to work at the Bishops’ Conference as an associate general secretary in February 2016, with his main responsibilities being the coordination of the organization’s response to the Church’s coercion and sexual abuse scandals.
In 2018, thepriestwas promoted to the USCCB’s executive staff and was responsible for overseeing the organization’s pastoral departments. He was later elected general secretary of the US Bishops Conference in November 2020, becoming its highest-ranking American member.
The investigation concluded that during all this time, he was engaged in consistent and, according to the institution, illicit sexual activity.
A catholic newsletter’s investigation used the hook-up app’s public records to confirm that the priest was a regular user
The Pillarwas able to access the dating app’s mobile device location data without issues and used it to correlate Burrell’s assigned ID number with his phone number, allowing them to pinpoint where and when thepriestused Grindr. The investigators concluded that the app was used in his residence, USCCB’s headquarters, official meetings, vacations, and apartments.
Image credits:L’Osservatore Romano
According to Misha Rykov, a researcher at the free software communityMozilla,“Dating apps claim the more personal data you share, the more likely you are to find love. We have no way of knowing if that’s true. What we do know is that most dating apps fail spectacularly at protecting that information.”
The case resurfaces in the midst of a particularly challenging period for the US Catholic Church, which has been struggling with more than 8,500 accounts of clerical abuse since 2019
Image credits:Pexels/RDNE
Thomas Berg, a professor of Moral Theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York, explained toThe Pillarthat “[the] use of location-based hookup apps is inconsistent with clerical obligations to continence and chastity. According to canon law and the Church’s tradition, clerics are obliged to observe ‘perfect and perpetual continence,’ as a reflection of what should be our lived pursuit of our spousal relationship with the Church and with Christ.”
Image credits:Grindr
According to the2023 Annual Reportof the USCCB, more than 8,500 cases ofclerical abusecame to light during Burrill’s tenure as a high-ranking member, with 1,300 during the last year, of which 842 constitute offenses of the sexual abuse of minors.
Image credits:Pexels/Shimazaki
The church also reported$284 millionin payouts to the victims during 2023.
“These numbers are not just numbers. The statistics are the many stories and accounts of the betrayal of trust and the lifelong journey towards recovery,” wrote Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the USCCB, in the report’s introduction.
Netizens reacted with cynicism to the case, with many commenting that the priest has no case against the dating app due to his own willingness to make use of it
“Good luck. It was his choice to join the app and get involved with such. How’s it their fault?” asked one user.
“‘Oh gee, my job as a priest doesn’t allow me to have casual sex with men.’ Good grief,” reacted another.
“If you are ashamed of being onGrindr, don’t be on Grindr. Simple, really. I guess those ‘vows’ only matter if you get caught,” said one reader.
Others expressed concern at the ease with which his personal information was collected and then used against him, arguing that despite his misconduct, his lawsuit is based on a fundamental breach of privacy.
“My initial reaction to this was that a priest has no business being on a hook-up app. But really, this has ramifications for every one who uses apps like this,” argued a concerned user.
“Same as Facebook and all the rest. They do not keep our info private,” stated another.
“I thought those sites were meant to protect people’s privacy? I don’t blame him for suing them,” said one reader, understanding the priest’s position.
“Grindr did this man a favor,” said one reader as others remarked on the incompatibility of the priest’s lifestyle with his clerical responsibilities
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