Former Bradford Central Christian High School teacher David Poulson has been defrocked by the Vatican.

Poulson, who had served as a priest since 1979, is serving a prison sentence of at least two years for molesting two boys in Fryberg and Cambridge Springs. While in Bradford, he had molested Jim VanSickle, a student then at the Catholic high school.

The statute of limitations for the crimes against VanSickle has expired, but the Bradford native — now an adult living in Pittsburgh — added his voice to the grand jury investigation by state Attorney General Josh Shapiro. That investigation, which named hundreds of abusive priests and others within the church, resulted in only two prosecutions because of the statute of limitations.

On Friday, Bishop Lawrence Persico of the Erie Diocese released a brief statement regarding Poulson, saying Poulson had been notified March 5 that he was removed from the priesthood.

VanSickle told The Era on Friday that it was a positive step.

“I’m glad to see the Vatican sees this man is a pedophile,” he said. Referring to the grand jury’s presentment on Poulson, VanSickle said former Erie Bishop Donald Trautman and a state trooper friend of Poulson’s knew what had been happening.

“I still struggle with the fact that there’s a state cop that had knowledge,” VanSickle said, “and what did Trautman do? I had several other survivors asking the same question. He buried these things.”

The presentment indicated Trautman had known for at least eight years that accusations had been made against Poulson, and had told him to cease such conduct. And the state trooper, who had purchased property with Poulson, knew since the “mid-2000s,” as Poulson had told him if he were arrested for molesting altar boys, he wanted the trooper to have the property.

VanSickle said, “I want to expose the criminals, and those who have covered it up.”

He did give the Erie Diocese credit for pursuing the defrocking of priests with credible accusations against them, but said, “it seems selective.”

It has been a little over a year since VanSickle went public with the story of what he suffered through. And next week, he will be speaking to Erie media for a recap of the past year, and to look ahead at what the future holds.

“The future holds continuing to bring out survivors,” he said. “I know there are many more.”

He’s spoken to some in Bradford and the surrounding area who just aren’t ready to make their stories public. “There’s no incentive to do so,” VanSickle said.

He is working on bringing about changes to state laws regarding statutes of limitation.

“We’re hopeful because of what is going on in Harrisburg,” he said. “The Senate is going to put forth a bill April 12.”

This bill, according to those lobbying for change, would abolish civil and criminal statutes (of limitation) going forward, and establish a two-year retroactive window going forward,” VanSickle explained.

“But what happens after that in the Senate is unknown,” he added, saying Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Brockway, has opposed changes to the statutes.

That’s a shame, VanSickle said, because Scarnati’s district is highly Catholic and “there are hundreds of survivors there in little towns. Why would they step forward knowing they are going to be ostracized?”

VanSickle was recently in Rome for the Vatican’s conference on clergy sexual abuse. When there, he was approached by international media, several of whom asked him how to “get the ball rolling” for reform in their countries, too.

He added, too, that he wouldn’t have made it this far in his efforts without the help and support of people in his hometown of Bradford, and of Catholics who want to clean up the church.

“Having people who are faithful Catholics willing to stand behind me is special,” he said.

VanSickle said that despite his efforts in exposing the wrongdoing, getting up every day and talking about his victimization is still painful.

“The emotional battle is constant,” he said. “You just keep stepping forward.

“We’re going to see more and more Catholics showing they are against what the church is doing and how they are responding,” VanSickle opined. “They are not turning against their religion or their faith, they are asking for accountability and transparency.

“I don’t know how the church can consider themselves the moral standard of the world and not do this.”