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Photo: The Cathedral of St. Paul, Birmingham, AL; via Wikipedia.
A longtime Birmingham area Catholic priest has been permanently removed from the clerical state following allegations that he engaged in a sexual relationship with a 17 year old girl more than fifteen years ago. The Diocese of Birmingham confirmed the decision after conducting a canonical investigation and forwarding the case to the Vatican for final determination, according to a report by the Birmingham Free Press, republished on Bishop-Accountability.org.
The priest, Father Robert Sullivan, 61, previously served as vicar general of the diocese and pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Homewood. He was placed on administrative leave in August after allegations surfaced from Heather Jones, now 33. Jones publicly reported that an exploitative relationship began around 2009 when she was 17 and working at an adult entertainment club near Birmingham that the priest allegedly visited.
In her account to the diocese, Jones described years of sexual encounters, travel, financial support, and a nondisclosure agreement worth $273,000 that she says followed her raising concerns. The allegations detailed a significant power imbalance due to both the priest’s clerical authority and a forty four year age gap.
Although Alabama’s Department of Human Resources declined to open a state investigation because the age of consent is 16, Catholic Church policy treats all individuals under 18 as minors in abuse cases. As a result, the diocese concluded that a serious violation had occurred. Local reporting indicates that the Vatican process ultimately resulted in laicization, permanently barring the priest from public ministry and all priestly functions.
The Diocese of Birmingham, which serves roughly 250000 Catholics across north and central Alabama, acknowledged that no criminal charges have been filed because the conduct described falls outside state prosecutable offenses. The diocese’s internal findings and the Vatican’s decision mark the official end of the priest’s decades long ministry, including his six years leading John Carroll Catholic High School before his rise to a senior diocesan role.
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