Episcopal priest accused of stealing baseball cards resigns as Pittsburgh cathedral dean

UNITED STATES, March 22 — PITTSBURGH (RNS) — A priest who oversaw the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, a historic congregation in downtown Pittsburgh, has resigned following allegations that he stole over $1,000 worth of baseball cards at a Walmart. He had been on administrative leave since January amid claims he sold cathedral artifacts online, according to a letter published Saturday (March 14) from Pittsburgh Bishop Ketlen Solak. The Rev. Aidan Smith, 42, who had served as dean of the cathedral since 2020, was arrested on Feb. 27 by police in Economy, Pennsylvania — a borough 30 minutes north of Pittsburgh — after allegedly leaving a Walmart store with 27 packs of baseball cards concealed under his clothing. Surveillance footage reportedly captured Smith stealing cards from the same Walmart store on each of the previous four days. In total, police said Walmart valued the stolen cards at $1,099.99, according to The Associated Press . Court records show Smith was charged with retail theft and receiving stolen property and posted $50,000 bail after an overnight detention. Smith did not respond to RNS’ requests for comment.

In her Saturday letter, addressed to the Trinity Cathedral community and posted on the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh’s website, Solak said the diocese received questions in late December and early January suggesting Smith had not safeguarded church property. “I believe it is now pastorally appropriate to make you aware that for a number of weeks, we have been looking into whether Aidan improperly sold artifacts belonging to the cathedral through online platforms,” Solak wrote. On Monday, The Living Church reported that an eBay seller sold over a dozen pieces of church silver and other church artifacts — including a 1912 program for a Trinity Cathedral memorial for victims of the Titanic, and a 1908 invitation from England’s King Edward VII to the second bishop of Pittsburgh — that may belong to the cathedral and the Diocese of Pittsburgh. One person who belongs to a community of church archivists, who was not named in the story, told The Living Church they “unwittingly purchased some of these items in order to give them back altruistically to the diocese,” and discovered the return address listed Smith’s wife’s name, and was Smith’s home address, according to publicly available records. The buyer reported the finding to Solak and diocesan staff, and filed a complaint about the account on eBay. Smith was placed on administrative leave in late January, and on Feb. 15, the diocese initiated Title IV proceedings — the Episcopal Church’s process for investigating alleged clergy misconduct. Solak said though Smith resigned his position, he remains a member of the clergy and that the Title IV case will now also involve the allegations of retail theft. A diocesan spokesperson told RNS that “ the police are not involved in the allegations that gave rise to the Title IV matter.”

Solak invited the cathedral community to pray for Smith, his family and those impacted by the situation.

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Solak, the Rev. Mary Jayne Ledgerwood, the cathedral’s canon for administration, and members of its executive committee will oversee cathedral operations in the wake of Smith’s departure. In three to four months, Solak wrote, “we will begin a process of discerning the best path forward.” Smith was unanimously chosen as dean of the cathedral in June 2020, and was the cathedral’s first permanent dean in nearly 17 years. Before that, he led the cathedral as provost starting in May 2019. He graduated with his Master of Divinity from Trinity Anglican Seminary in nearby Ambridge, Pennsylvania, in 2014.

“I understand this news may be deeply upsetting, and I am committed to walking through this time of healing and transition with you,” Solak wrote. “While the season of Lent calls us to a time of reflective introspection, this holy season reminds us to put our trust in God who is our Shepherd in the midst of life.”

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This story has been updated to include additional information about church artifacts.