Boston Archdiocese Clears Priest Accused Of Sex Abuse
BOSTON (AP) — The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has cleared a priest who had been accused of sexually abusing a minor decades ago.
Archdiocese officials said in a statement Thursday that a church court found that allegations of child sexual abuse against the Rev. Victor LaVoie were unfounded.
The archdiocese also granted LaVoie senior priest-retirement status.
LaVoie, ordained in 1971, was suspended in July 2002 after church officials determined that an allegation of sexual misconduct that happened more than 20 years prior had enough credibility to warrant an investigation. He was not allowed to perform any public ministry in the church during the suspension.
He was pastor of St. Eulalia in Winchester at the time.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
