From the Washington Post. July 13 edition
A retired Roman Catholic priest convicted of child sexual abuse in 1984 has been stripped of his clerical status by the Vatican at the request of Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde, the diocese announced yesterday.More...The Rev. Andrew W. Krafcik, 77, who served "in limited ministry" from 1985 until his 1996 retirement, was informed Saturday "that he has been dismissed from the clerical state by a decision of the Holy Father," the diocese said.
Krafcik said his 1984 misdemeanor conviction in Henrico Country arose from one incident in which he was accused of kissing a 12-year-old girl at a swimming pool near Richmond.Krafcik, who was ordained in 1959, said he was working at St. Ann Parish in Arlington at the time of the offense. Confirming the diocesan assertion that he was ordered by the court to undergo counseling instead of being incarcerated, Krafcik said he was an outpatient for seven years at St. Luke Institute in Silver Spring, a church-sponsored facility for troubled priests. He said that he was treated with a drug that suppresses sexual arousal.
