Alabama Priest Removed From Clergy For Sexaul Abuse of 17-Year-Old Girl
By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
November 28, 2025
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Complaints and accusations against a Catholic priest have ended his career, as he also faces possible criminal charges.
“In light of complaints made against him in July of this year, Father Robert J. Sullivan, of his own accord, submitted a petition to Pope Leo, requesting that he be dispensed from all the obligations arising from Holy Orders,” Bishop Steven Raica said in a statement Wednesday.
The Alabama priest who was put on leave in August after a woman claimed he began a sexual relationship with her when she was 17 has been removed from the clergy by Pope Leo, according to the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham.
According to Raica, Pope Leo’s decision to remove Sullivan from the clergy was communicated on Monday.
“The canonical investigation of the allegations, referred to the Dicastery in late summer, now concludes with this dispensation,” Raica’s statement continued. “A diocesan financial review, initiated at my request due to the significant payments alleged to have been made by then-Father Sullivan, was recently completed and found no link between the allegations and any diocesan, parish, or school funds.”
The allegations against Sullivan were made by Heather Jones, who claimed Sullivan gave her financial support in exchange for “private companionship,” including sex. She said this relationship started when she was 17.
Jones went public with the allegations when she was 33.
Besides the actions taken by the church, Sullivan could now face criminal charges, and authorities said that they are still investigating the situation.
In Alabama, there is no statute of limitations for the criminal prosecution of rape. This is because rape is considered a capital offense for the purposes of the statute of limitations, meaning it is exempt from the time limits that apply to most other felonies.
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