December 6, 2018; Cincinnati, OH

Fr. Kenneth Hendricks, who was arrested in the city of Naval in the Philippines on Dec. 5, 2018 is not, nor has ever been, a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. To the best of our knowledge, he was ordained to the priesthood in the Philippines to serve in the diocese of Naval. He has never had any assignment with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

Although not a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Fr. Hendricks is listed on our website as a Catholic missionary serving in Asia. He is one of around 75 missionaries from Southwest Ohio who receive some financial support from the Mission Office of the Archdiocese. None of these individuals work for, or take direction from, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

The abuse of children or any vulnerable person is abhorrent and needs to be prosecuted. We are cooperating fully with the Department of Justice and Homeland Security regarding this matter, and urge anyone with any information about Fr. Hendricks to call the phone number provided this morning by Homeland Security, 513-246-1461.

We are also working diligently to make the faithful aware of Fr. Hendrick’s arrest and learn of any potential interaction he may have had with anyone locally. We will be posting all of this information on our website and social media platforms.