Sex Reports on Priest Called Confirmed : Inquiry: Covenant House says probe found evidence of misconduct by Father Ritter, founder of shelter for runaways. He has denied wrongdoing.

Covenant House announced Friday that private investigators had found extensive evidence confirming sexual misconduct by Father Bruce Ritter, the founder of the nation’s largest shelter system for young runaways.

In addition, investigators hired by the Covenant House board questioned some financial dealings by Ritter, the charismatic priest who resigned in February as the organization’s president.

But there was “no evidence of any other financial impropriety or mismanagement,” including the handling of hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions, the investigators said in a report.

The Covenant House board said it was issuing the 51-page report in hopes of restoring the credibility of the church-affiliated organization.

“Clearly, mistakes were made. Some corrective measures have been taken and others will be put in place,” an investigation oversight committee said.

“The report confirms some things that make us very sad,” board Chairman Ralph A. Pfeiffer Jr. said. “We acknowledge (Ritter’s) and our mistakes, and we pledge that we will do all in our power to ensure that they will not be repeated.”

The allegations arose in December, when Kevin Lee Kite, 26, a drifter from Texas, accused Ritter of luring him into a sexual relationship. Two other men made similar allegations, and charges of financial improprieties involving loans and contracts ensued.

Ritter’s Roman Catholic order, the Franciscans, investigated the sex charges and ordered him to leave Covenant House. The Manhattan district attorney investigated and found no criminality.

The Covenant House founder has denied wrongdoing. The private investigators, Kroll Associates, said Ritter refused to speak with them, and Franciscan leaders agreed to discuss only limited areas.

Kroll Associates said it interviewed five former residents who said they had sex with Ritter. One resident and four Covenant House workers reported sexual advances by Ritter, and another resident acknowledged having shared a bed with Ritter but denied sexual activity.

Ritter, 63, founded Covenant House in 1968. He reportedly is living in New Jersey and considering leaving the Franciscan order.

A statement from his lawyer, Stanley Arkin, said the report “gives emphasis to an alleged few sporadic incidents, washing away more than 20 years of uncompromising and unstinting accomplishment.”