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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Ramon Antonio Vargas

Alabama priest investigated after woman alleges ‘private companionship’ arrangement beginning at 17

a man speaking
Clergyman Robert Sullivan told his congregation he was taking a leave of absence on 3 August. Photograph: Youtube

A Roman Catholic priest in Alabama is under investigation, church officials say – and he abruptly announced he is taking “personal leave” – after a woman alleged to his superiors that he traded financial support for “private companionship” including sex, beginning when she was 17.

The accuser, Heather Jones, has also alleged that the clergyman, Robert Sullivan, recently paid her hundreds of thousands of dollars to remain silent about it, a claim she supported with bank records, an email and a copy of a legal agreement.

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