D.C. Diocese Dismisses 2 Accused Priests
Two Washington priests accused of sexual abuse have been dismissed from the ministry under a nationwide policy adopted this summer by Roman Catholic bishops.
Father Paul E. Lavin and Msgr. Russell L. Dillard were dismissed by Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, a spokeswoman for the Washington Archdiocese said.
Lavin, the pastor of a Capitol Hill parish, and Dillard, pastor of St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church, were suspended after allegations were made against them this year.
Catholic bishops approved a zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse of minors after scandals involving priests drew national attention.
Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said a review board found allegations against both men credible and that McCarrick’s decision was an interim step under the new policy. She told Associated Press the priests can appeal their dismissals to the Congregation for the Clergy at the Vatican, which will have the final say.
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