By Michael Clancy
Arizona Republic
December 15, 2008
http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2008/12/15/20081215fushekonline1215.html
Dale Fushek, once one of the most powerful and popular priests in the Diocese of Phoenix, has been excommunicated.
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted said the decision was the result of Fushek's role in the Praise and Worship Center, a new church that Fushek founded with another former priest, Mark Dippre.
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| Dale Fushek (in a 2006 photo) faces trial for several misdemeanor counts of sexual misconduct. Photo by Tom Tingle |
Dippre also was excommunicated.
The decision had nothing to do with Fushek's legal issues, where he faces trial for several misdemeanor counts of sexual misconduct, according to a statement by the Diocese of Phoenix.
Fushek and Dippre founded the church in November 2007, three years after Fushek was suspended from the priesthood for sexual misconduct issues.
Excommunication is the most serious form of discipline the Catholic Church can issue. It exiles the person from the church, prohibiting him or her from participation in church activities.
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