Auckland Cathedral employee arrested for alleged possession and distribution of child pornography

A non-professional official from the Diocese of Auckland was arrested on suspicion of possessing and distributing child pornography, NBC’s Bay Area investigative unit confirmed through local law enforcement.

Jeremiah York, 24, served as director of liturgical ministry and executive assistant rector at Christ of the Light Cathedral in Auckland, also known as Auckland Cathedral.

Walnut Creek Police told NBC Bay Area that they arrested York, a Walnut Creek resident, on January 6.

The case is still under investigation and has not yet been referred to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office, a police spokesman said.

NBC Bay Area was unable to reach York for comment.

The diocese of Auckland did not publicly announce the arrest, and Yorke’s photo and information about his employment remained on the cathedral’s website until Friday. It was then pulled shortly after the NBC Bay Area investigation into the arrest.

Helen Osman, a spokesman for the Diocese of Auckland, said in an email that York no longer works at the cathedral and has not worked there since the first week of January.

“In reviewing this situation, we did not find any potential criminal acts on the part of Jeremiah York in the course of his work or commission on the cathedral grounds, the use of his property, or the involvement of parishioners, including minors,” Osman wrote. “There have been no arrests on the cathedral grounds, and the Diocese of Auckland, which controls the cathedral, has cooperated with law enforcement.”

Tim Steer, a former clergyman for the Diocese of Auckland, said he was initially informed of the arrest in February by a contact in the diocese. Steer, a longtime critic of the Catholic Church’s handling of the ongoing sex abuse scandal, relayed an NBC Bay Area tip that confirmed the arrest late last week.

“I was just shocked and amazed by this,” Steer said. “My source did not want to be named, but [they] gave me permission to do it.”

According to Osman, York oversaw the planning and preparation of the liturgy at the cathedral and helped coordinate events such as weddings and funerals. Yorke also worked alongside altar servers, who, according to Osman, are now almost exclusively adults.

Steer said that some liturgies, such as baptism and communion, involve children, and that the diocese is required to openly inform parishioners of York’s arrest.

“The responsibility of the diocese goes beyond simply firing him,” Steer said. “Were there announcements for all these masses? Have all the parents of the children in the cathedral been notified of this? I would be very surprised if they were.”

Bay Area NBC asked the diocese if it had notified anyone of Yorke’s arrest, but officials did not answer the question.