WHEELING — The former bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston is under investigation after a 16-year-old girl alleged he inappropriately touched her when she was 9, news outlets are reporting.

The alleged incident involving Michael Bransfield occurred in 2012 while on a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., The Washington Post said. Bransfield, contacted by The Post, denied the allegations.

According to the Post, a subpoena was delivered to the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston on Thursday seeking information on any abuse complaints against Bransfield, and any documentation pertaining to the September 2012 pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The trip was led by Bransfield and was attended by parishioners from West Virginia.

The girl told police the incident occurred when she and Bransfield were alone in a room at the National Shrine, according to the Post.

Tim Bishop, director of marketing and communications for the diocese, said the diocese had been alerted to the claims and referred them to local police, per their policy.

“The diocese was made aware of a complaint against former bishop Bransfield of an incident alleged to have occurred in Washington, D.C., some years ago involving a minor, and it promptly reported the matter to the appropriate civil authorities in Washington, D.C.,” Bishop told The Intelligencer. “As is the diocese’s policy, it has deferred to such authority to pursue their investigation before invoking its own process. The diocese is cooperating with the investigation.”

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests on Friday issued a statement citing the Washington Post report.

“We applaud the bravery of this young victim. It is incredibly challenging to come forward and report abuse at any time, so we hope that the victim in this case is getting the support and help she needs from her community,” the Survivors Network statement said. “We hope that this news will encourage any others who were hurt, whether by Bishop Bransfield or others, to come forward and make a report to law enforcement. And we hope that church officials in both Washington, D.C., and in Wheeling-Charleston will make every effort to encourage other survivors to come forward, make a report to law enforcement, and start healing.”

Bransfield has been the subject of two sexual harrassment lawsuits in recent months, most recently a suit filed on Sept. 13, which accused Bransfield of harassing a seminarian in 2015, just after his graduation from college. The suit accused Bransfield of having “repeatedly and inappropriately touched, caressed and stroked” the alleged victim’s face and mouth, among other incidents. Another lawsuit against Bransfield was settled out of court in August.

Bransfield retired last year, which was accepted by Pope Francis, who appointed an administrator to the diocese with the instruction of initiating an investigaton into allegations of sexual harrassment against Bransfield. A report, forwarded to the Vatican, also cited cases of lavish spending by Bransfield including trips and gifts paid for from diocese funds.