US EditionHomewood priest on leave amid allegations of relationship with woman starting when she was a minor
Priest Robert Sullivan is on leave amid allegations of a sexual relationship starting when the woman was 17, with the Diocese of Birmingham and Vatican investigating the case.
- On August 4, 2025, Father Sullivan announced he was taking personal leave, and Bishop Steven Raica revealed he is under investigation over allegations of a relationship with a woman who was 17.
- This past week, The Guardian reported Heather Jones says she met Sullivan in 2009 at a strip club outside Birmingham, alleging a relationship began when she was 17.
- Bank records show more than 125 transactions underpinning her claims, with Sullivan alleged to have transferred nearly $120,000 via Venmo between July 18, 2024, and March this year.
- Raica noted the Alabama Department of Human Resources declined a civil probe but a diocesan investigation was launched, with Carson stating Sullivan is barred from public ministry.
- The Diocese’s Review Board has submitted the case to the Vatican’s Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith, and under canon law, a relationship with someone under 18 may trigger abuse proceedings.
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11 Articles
Birmingham vicar general accused of relationship with 17-year-old - What's next?
The Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama announced this week that one of its vicar generals has been removed from ministry after being accused of maintaining a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl.The Pillar breaks down the allegations against the priest, the current status of the investigation into those allegations, and the response from the diocese.Our Lady of Sorrows Church, in the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama. Credit: Facebook.Who is Fr.…
August 14, 2025 – Alabama – Agencies. A priest of the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama, who also serves as vicar general and pastor at the Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Homewood — Father Robert Sullivan, 61 — is currently under investigation, after being accused by a woman of having initiated an intimate relationship with her when she was only 17 years old, in 2009. The indictment was filed in July, and upon public disclosure, Sullivan an…
Alabama priest put on leave following allegations of affair with 17-year-old girl
HOMEWOOD, Ala. (WIAT) -- An Alabama priest has been put on on leave after a woman alleged that he began a sexual relationship with her starting when she was 17 years old in 2009. On Wednesday, Bishop Steven Raica sent a letter to Diocese of Birmingham on why Father Bob Sullivan of Our Lady of Sorrow in Homewood took a leave from his role at the church on Aug. 4. In the letter, which CBS 42 recently obtained, Sullivan announced the personal leave…
A priest is under investigation in Alabama for a sexual relationship with a stripper who has now denounced him. The priest is Robert Sullivan and today he is 61 years old. Since last August 4 he is no longer the pastor of the church of Our Lady Sorrowful in Homewood. The first meeting between the two dates back to 2009. Heather Jones, in those years, was 17 years old and was a stripper. The pastor asked her to carry out a relationship (including…
New York Post
BishopAccountability.org - Documenting the Catholic Sexual Abuse and Financial Crisis - Data on bishAlabama priest accused of having a sexual relationship with teen stripper, paying her thousands in hush money
A Catholic priest is under investigation for allegedly starting a years-long relationship with a 17-year-old stripper — and paying her hundreds of thousands...
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