Lawrence Welsh


Lawrence Harold Welsh was the fourth Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Spokane, serving from 1978 to 1989. He was subsequently an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Early life

Born in Winton, Wyoming, Welsh was ordained a priest on March 26, 1962.

Bishop of Spokane

On November 6, 1978, Welsh was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Spokane and was consecrated on December 14, 1978.
Welsh was accused of reassigning the priest Patrick O'Donnell to another parish after three families brought allegations of sexual abuse of children by O'Donnell to the knowledge of Bishop Welsh.

Assault investigation

On September 9, 1986 police officers of the Spokane Police Department were assigned to investigate charges that Welsh had picked up a male prostitute, and then during sex, Welsh "began to strangle him." Welsh admitted to police that he picked up a drug addict and took him to his hotel room for counseling. On further questioning Bishop Welsh admitted to putting his hands all over the victim's body. On September 29, 1986, the police met with Welsh and Seattle Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen. At this meeting, Welsh stated that "he did not feel he did anything violent in the course of the sex act and that if he had it would have been as an outlet for frustrations that had built up within him." Welsh, Hunthausen, and the police detectives agreed that Welsh should be examined by a psychiatrist.
Welsh was never charged in the incident; one former Spokane detective claimed that the story had been "handled in a hush-hush manner". Knowledge of this incident did not become public until October 2002, after Welsh's death, when the Spokane Spokesman-Review published the story. At that time, an attorney representing victims of alleged sexual abuse told the newspaper that he believed the reason Welsh had failed to stop abusive priests in his diocese was that they could have threatened to reveal his own secrets.

Drunk driving and resignation

On April 17, 1990, Welsh resigned as Bishop of Spokane after he was arrested for drunk driving.

Auxiliary bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

On November 5, 1991, Welsh was made an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
Welsh died on January 13, 1999.