The buyer lodged a complaint with eBay about the account, which is still active, and informed diocesan staff, including Bishop Ketlen Solak, about the matter. In a response to the buyer\u2019s email on January 8, Solak said she had \u201creceived a plausible explanation that does not indicate any intentional wrongdoing.\u201d She added that the diocese would continue to investigate the matter \u201cuntil I have full satisfaction that it is, indeed, the case and that proper care is being given to the archives of Trinity Cathedral.\u201d<\/p>\n
In messages to cathedral parishioners and the diocese, Solak wrote that Smith has been on leave since late January. On February 27, the 42-year-old church leader\u2014who began working at Trinity in 2019 as provost<\/a>\u2014was arrested<\/a> and charged with retail theft and receiving stolen property. According to an Associated Press report<\/a>, Smith was arrested as he was leaving a Walmart in Economy Borough, just outside Pittsburgh, with 27 packs of baseball cards hidden under his clothing and in a cardboard box.<\/p>\n He was detained overnight and released after posting $50,000 bail.<\/p>\n News of Smith\u2019s arrest began circulating in early March. In a message to Trinity\u2019s parishioners on March 14, Solak said Smith had since resigned from his post. She added that Smith\u2019s being placed on administrative leave earlier this year was \u201cprompted by an ongoing investigation into questions we received at the end of December and beginning of January suggesting that he may have failed to safeguard the property of the church.\u201d<\/p>\n Last month, Title IV proceedings began against Smith. Title IV addresses claims against bishops, priests, or deacons who may have engaged in conduct constituting an offense under church canons.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the civic charges related to Aidan\u2019s arrest for retail theft are entirely separate from allegations that he failed to safeguard church property, the two matters will proceed as one Title IV case,\u201d Solak said. Smith remains a canonical resident of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n Asked whether the items sold online were stolen and what steps the diocese is taking to recover them, a diocesan spokesperson declined to comment.<\/p>\n \u2018Something\u2019s Not Right Here\u2019<\/p>\n On July 3, 2025, Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe reflected on how American history is significantly intertwined with the life and story of the Episcopal Church. \u201cWe were once the church of the Founding Fathers and presidents\u201434 of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were members of what became our church after the Revolution, and 11 presidents, including George Washington, have professed our faith,\u201d Rowe said<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Episcopal Church\u2019s first General Convention was held in 1785, just nine years after the Declaration of Independence was ratified. Considering the church\u2019s enduring presence in the country for more than two centuries, archives serve as a means to preserve records about the life of a parish or diocese.<\/p>\n Susan Stonesifer, who has served as historiographer of the Diocese of Washington for the past 20 years, said that church archives and historical documents are a significant \u201copportunity to share family stories.\u201d Sometimes these stories are not only reflected in documents but engraved in the silver the church has used over the years.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773736735_612_Aidian-Smith-px1200_Fotor-300x200.jpg\")
Aidan Smith<\/p>\n
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