A Baltimore priest has been dismissed over 2018 sexual harassment settlement

BALTIMORE (AP) — A Benedictine monk has lost his priestly faculties after the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore recently became aware of a payment he made several years ago to settle sexual harassment allegations. Last week, the pastor of St. Benedict Church was removed after serving there for nearly 40 years. The archdiocese has said in a statement Sunday that they learned about the settlement from reporters for The Baltimore Banner. They opened an internal investigation and decided to dismiss the priest. He has since returned to Saint Vincent Archabbey, a Benedictine monastery in Pennsylvania. A spokesperson for the archabbey said she was unable to comment because of the ongoing investigation.