Joseph R. Binzer

Joseph Binzer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, one of seven children of Robert and Joan (née Metz) Binzer.[1] He received his early education at St. Ann School in Groesbeck, and graduated from La Salle High School in 1973.[2] He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business with a major in accountancy from Miami University in 1977.[3] He then worked for eleven years as a Certified Public Accountant with Crowe, Chizek & Co. in South Bend, Indiana, and with Arthur Young & Co. in Cincinnati.[1]

In 1988, Binzer began his studies for the priesthood by entering Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West in Cincinnati.[3] He earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1994.[4] On June 4, 1994, he was ordained a priest by Archbishop Daniel Edward Pilarczyk at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains.[5]

His first assignment was as a parochial vicar at St. Dominic Church in Delhi, where he remained for three years.[2] He then continued his studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he obtained a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1999.[4]

After returning to Cincinnati, he served as a resident associate at St. Bartholomew Church in Finneytown and member of the archdiocesan Tribunal.[3] He was master of ceremonies for Archbishop Pilarczyk from 2000 to 2003.[2] In 2003, he was named chancellor of the Archdiocese, pastor of St. Louis Church in Cincinnati, and director of the Archdiocese's Department of Executive Services.[3] In addition to these posts, he became vicar general of the Archdiocese in 2007.[4]

On April 6, 2011, Binzer was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati and Titular Bishop of Subbar by Pope Benedict XVI.[6] He received his episcopal consecration on June 9, 2011. The Archbishop of Cincinnati, Archbishop Dennis Marion Schnurr, was the principal consecrator. The principal co-consecrators were the Archbishop Emeritus of Cincinnati, Daniel Edward Pilarczyk; and the new Bishop of Joliet, Bishop Robert Daniel Conlon. The episcopal consecration was held at Cincinnati's Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains.[5]

On August 5, 2019, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati announced that Binzer had failed to notify the archbishop of an allegation of sex abuse by a priest and that he was being removed immediately as head of priest personnel. Pending an internal investigation, Binzer remained Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop.[7] Binzer had informed local police authorities, but not officials of the archdiocese, of the complaints made against Fr. Geoff Drew in 2013 and 2015 and the police investigation did not result in any charges. Drew was suspended from public ministry on July 23, 2019, following the discovery of inappropriate text messages he sent to a teenage parishioners; he had been transferred to a new parish in 2018 after more reports of inappropriate contact with minors.[7][8]

Binzer resigned in August 2019 from the Child and Youth Protection Committee for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.[9]

Binzer submitted his resignation in late April 2020.[10] On May 7, 2020, Pope Francis accepted Binzer's resignation as auxiliary bishop.[11][9] Binzer issued a public apology that said he had tendered his resignation after the Holy See concluded in April after its own investigation that his handling of Drew's case had "a negative impact on the trust and faith" of the people of the Archdiocese.[10]