Paul Shanley, the priest at the center of the clergy sex abuse scandal, was defrocked Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
NewsCenter 5's Jim Morelli reported that the decision to defrock Shanley was made months ago by the Vatican, but was transmitted to Shanley in a letter this week. The defrocking means Shanley will no longer be able to minister, nor will he be eligible for financial support or benefits from the archdiocese.
Pope John Paul II reportedly decided to terminate Shanley's membership in the priesthood on Feb. 19. Shanley learned of the decision in a letter dated May 3 from Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley. The bishop told Shanley that Pope John Paul II made the decision Feb. 19.
In the letter, O'Malley wrote that Shanley is officially off the church payroll, saying, "As a result of your dismissal, you are no longer eligible for any financial support or benefits from the Archdiocese of Boston. Both your regular stipend and your medical benefits will cease as of May 31, 2004."
O'Malley added, "As a dismissed priest, you are dispensed from the obligation of clerical celibacy."
Shanley, 73, pleaded not guilty to raping Paul Ford, Paul Busa and two other men at a Newton, Mass., parish during the 1980s. He was freed on $300,000 bail and is scheduled to face trial in October.
Earlier this month, church officials reached a deal with four alleged victims of Shanley. Three of the four victims plan to testify against Shanley at his criminal trial.
Shanley became a focal point of the abuse scandal after it was revealed that church officials transferred him from parish to parish after allegations surfaced.