Fighting Allegations, Priest Returns to Parish
A Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a boy 25 years ago has returned to his parish after a diocese review board determined the accusations were groundless.
Father Paul Eichhoff has four Masses this weekend at St. Cecilia’s Church in Claremore, his first pastorate duties since he was placed on leave Aug. 1.
An Oklahoma man and his father have sued, alleging that Eichhoff molested the man twice when he was a boy in the late 1970s. The abuse allegedly occurred at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Tulsa.
The priest, who has countered with a slander lawsuit, again denied the accusations Friday, saying they gave him “extreme pain.”
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