Rev. Christopher Pliauplis – Assignment History

Summary of Case: Prior to his priesthood Christopher Pliaplis was a religious order brother in Steubenville, Ohio; he left that ministry for three years to become a registered nurse. In 1987 Pliaplis was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Steubenville, going on to assist at parishes in Mingo Junction, Cambridge and Baldwin, Ohio. He transferred in 1991 to the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, reportedly to be near his ill mother. He assisted for several years at a Baldwin parish, followed by four years in Ronkonkoma; he is noted in the Official Catholic Directory during that parish assignment to have been 'Absent on Leave.' He then moved to a church in the Brooklyn diocese, followed by a transfer to the Archdiocese of New York, where was an assistant parish priest in Nanuet, Carmel and then Staten Island.

In 2006 a male high school student accused Pliauplis of grabbing his genitals at St. Patrick's on Staten Island. The student was teaching religious education at the parish and Pliauplis was the program's director. The incident allegedly occurred January 18, when the priest and youth passed each other in the school hallway. The boy and his family complained to the archdiocese and filed a report with the district attorney; there were no criminal charges. Pliauplis denied the allegations. He was suspended from active ministry in March 2006 and, per the Archdiocesan Review Board's recommendation, Pliauplis was permanently removed from ministry in June 2006.

Pliauplis filed an appeal to the Vatican; he was successful. In July 2008 he was allowed to return to ministry, and was assigned to New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral. He remained at the cathedral as an assistant until 2011, followed by an unexplained gap of one year. His status since 2012 has been 'On Leave of Absence.'

Ordained: 1987

< 1987

Diocese of Steubenville

1987

Diocese of Steubenville

Bishop was Albert Henry Ottenweller (1977-1992).

St. Agnes had a school with 219 students.

1989

Diocese of Rockville Centre

Bishop was John Raymond McGann (1976-2000).

St. Christopher's had a school with 434 students.

Pliauplis reportedly transferred to Long Island to be near his mother, who was ill.

1995

Diocese of Brooklyn

Bishop was Thomas Vose Daily (1990-2003).

1998

Archdiocese of New York

Archbishop was John Joseph O'Connor (1984-2000). He was succeeded by Edward Michael Egan (2000-2009).

New York (Staten Island)

• In 2006 a male high school student accused Pliauplis of having grabbed his genitals while they passed each other in St. Patrick's school hallway. The student was teaching religious education at the parish and Pliauplis was the program's director. The incident allegedly occurred January 18. The boy and his family complained to the archdiocese and filed a report with the district attorney; there were no criminal charges. Pliauplis denied the allegations. He was suspended from active ministry in March 2006 and, per the Archdiocesan Review Board's recommendation, he was permanently removed from ministry in June 2006.

Pliauplis is not indexed in the 2007 or 2008 Directories, nor is he listed as at his previous or next assignments.

Pliauplis appealed his case to the Vatican, which determined he was not guilty of wrongdoing. He was allowed to return to ministry in July 2008.

2008

Egan was replaced as New York Archbishop by Timothy Michael Dolan (2009-).

Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Source: Official Catholic Directory (Kenedy & Sons, 1988-2016).

• Island Priest Removed over Sex Abuse Claim, By Leslie Palma-Simoncek, Staten Island Advance, June 22, 2006
• Ex-Carmel Priest Accused of Abuse, Journal News, June 23, 2006
• Church Clears Priest in Sex Abuse Case, By Gary Stern, Journal News, June 5, 2008
• Priest Accused of Molesting Teen Cleared by Vatican, By Leslie Palma-Simoncek, Staten Island Advance, June 7, 2008


Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Pliauplis's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with the allegations against him, as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegations we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on May 3, 2017.