Donald Walter Trautman (June 24, 1936 – February 26, 2022) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Erie in Western Pennsylvania from 1990 to 2011.

[1] From 1966 to 1973, Trautman taught Scripture and theology at St. John Vianney Seminary in Buffalo, where he also served as dean of students.

Trautman was a participant of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, having served as chairman of the committees on doctrine, USCCB financial audit, and liturgy.

[2] Trautman was critical of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum and indicated that those priests who celebrate such a Mass would first need to show that they have the requisite knowledge of its rubrics and of Latin.

[3][4] In June 2011, Trautman turned 75, at which point canon law requests that a bishop tender his resignation to the Pope.

[6] In the report, Trautman was criticized alongside former Bishop Murphy for allowing "predator priest" Chester Gawronski to remain in the Diocese despite numerous allegations of sexual abuse.

[6] Two secret memos which were published by Erie priest and future Bishop of Altoona-Johnstown Mark Bartchak in August 2005 also revealed that Bartchak had told Trautman he had become aware of more witnesses to past sex abuse cases while investigating a sex abuse case against former Erie priest William Presley and that Trautman afterwards ordered that "additional witnesses should not be contacted, especially given the fact that it is not likely that they will lead to information" about crimes against minors.

[9] In June 2019, James Bottlinger, who was suing the Diocese of Buffalo, accused Trautman of protecting his abuser, Rev.