BOSTON (MA)
Lynn Daily Item
By Jill Casey / The Daily Item
Friday, June 10, 2005
BOSTON - A Lynn native, accused of sexually abusing a child in the 1970s, was among a group of six clergymen from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston who were defrocked by the Vatican, the archdiocese said Thursday.
The announcement comes more than 10 years after allegations surfaced that the Rev. John Connell molested a 12-year-old boy while spending a week with him in Sarasota, Fla., hotel during the mid-1970s.
Connell was the chaplain at St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers from 1984 to 1994, but was removed from the position after he was accused of sexual misconduct.
Connell may no longer act as a priest, except to offer absolution to the dying. He is no longer part of the archdiocese and is cut off from any financial support from the archdiocese, the archdiocese said in a statement.