The Very Rev. Aidan Smith, Dean of Trinity Cathedral in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, was arrested on February 27 on charges of retail theft and receiving stolen property. He had been on administrative leave since late January.
Court records obtained by The Living Church show that Smith was detained overnight and then posted bail for his release. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 12.
“We have little information about the circumstances of Aidan’s arrest or how the charges against him will be resolved,” Bishop Ketlen Solak of Pittsburgh said in a letter sent to the people of the diocese on March 5. She also mentioned that she had spoken to Smith and “assured him of our prayers for him in this difficult time.”
As more information becomes available, the diocese will investigate the situation and follow the Title IV canons of the Episcopal Church, the bishop said. Title IV addresses claims against bishops, priests, or deacons who may have engaged in conduct constituting an offense under church canons.
In an earlier message, Solak invited the cathedral’s parishioners to a meeting on March 14, St. Patrick’s Day, to discuss the situation surrounding Smith’s leave.
“My intention is to share with you an update on the status of the dean’s administrative leave, and to allow for ample time for conversation and questions,” Solak said. A psychologist whose work experience includes providing family therapy and crisis intervention will also join the conversation.
Psychologist Melissa Perin “understands well the feelings congregations experience in times of uncertainty, and her assistance will be helpful,” Solak said.
Smith has led Trinity as provost since May 2019. An earlier story in TLC said that he graduated from Trinity Anglican Seminary in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, in 2014. He served as dean of advancement and church relations at the seminary before working at the cathedral.
In June 2020, he was unanimously elected as the cathedral’s dean during the episcopacy of Bishop Dorsey McConnell, filling a role that had been vacant for nearly 17 years. McConnell retired in September 2021.
Caleb Maglaya Galaraga is The Living Church’s Episcopal Church reporter. His work has also appeared in Christianity Today, Broadview Magazine, and Presbyterian Outlook, among other publications.