ST. LOUIS (MO)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
By Ken Leiser
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
05/13/2006
A retired Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing children in Iowa during the 1970s and '80s before moving to the St. Louis area nearly two years ago has been defrocked, the Davenport Diocese confirmed Friday.
William Wiebler sparked concerns among neighbors after leaving the St. John Vianney Renewal Center in Jefferson County in spring 2004 and moving to an apartment building in University City.
In a news release this week, the Davenport Diocese announced that Bishop William Franklin had received formal notification from the Vatican that Wiebler had been laicized, or defrocked. The decree by Pope Benedict XVI cannot be appealed.