US priest defrocked after sexual abuse scandal

PAUL SHANLEY, the priest who was a key figure in the clergy sexual abuse scandal in the Boston Archdiocese, has been defrocked, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.

In a letter dated May 3, Boston Archbishop Sean O’Malley told Shanley he was being removed from his duties as a priest, and that Pope John Paul II made the decision on February 19.

The letter said Shanley will no longer be eligible for financial support or benefits from the archdiocese, and his stipend and medical benefits will be eliminated at the end of the month.