VIRGINIA
Washington Post
By Michelle Boorstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 11, 2006; Page B02
The Catholic Diocese of Arlington has put a 61-year-old priest on administrative leave after receiving "credible" allegations that he touched two girls inappropriately between 1975 and 1980, a diocesan spokesman said yesterday.
The priest, the Rev. Tran Dinh Nhi, has worked in nine Northern Virginia parishes since he came to the United States from Vietnam in 1975. Most recently, he was assigned to St. Ambrose in Annandale last year.
Diocesan spokesman Soren Johnson said Nhi has denied the allegations, which came to officials' attention in March after one of the alleged victims attended a program about how to spot child abuse. Discussions with her led to a second woman, and a review of both cases by a diocesan board found that the reports met "a basic threshold of credibility," Johnson said.