07 January 2024 , 17:55
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A disgraced priest who ran off to Italy and married a catholic school teenager months after she graduated has finally been defrocked by the Vatican.
Alex Crow is feared to have groomed the teen and the office of Archbishop Thomas J Rodi said: “The Archdiocese of Mobile has received notice that the laicization of Alex Crow is complete, effective immediately." The 30-year-old had asked to be removed from the priesthood, and the request was “confirmed in a letter by our Holy Father, Pope Francis.”
The disgraced priest entered into a relationship with an 18-year-old graduate of McGill-Toolen High School, where Crow had often served as a guest lecturer, and they fled to Italy in July 2023.
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Crow has been removed from the church (St. Mary Parish)Laicization — the process of removing a clergy member, which strips the bishop, priest, or deacons from conducting duties as figures of the catholic church — can be initiated after a service leader is absent for more than six months, according to the church, meaning Crow qualified. As of Friday, Crow, of Alabama, was officially removed from the priesthood, the Catholic church has announced, and no longer has any “privileges or responsibilities of the priesthood.”
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Their love affair was rumbled when law enforcement discovered love letters Crow sent the teen on Valentine’s Day while she was still a high school student. Rodi condemned Crow’s actions as “totally unbecoming of a priest” and that “he may no longer exercise ministry as a priest, nor to tell people he is a priest, nor to dress as a priest.”
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The priest married a teenager after fleeing to Italy (Youtube)Law enforcement have spoken out about the abuse of power. Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch told NBC 15 over the summer of 2023 he believed “there was some grooming that’s gone on” by Crow, who was ordained in only 2021. Formerly a member of a rock band, Crow was apparently fascinated with demonology and told people he was taking the teen to Europe to exorcise people.
After four months abroad, the pair returned to Mobile, Alabama, and the 30 year old married the teen. The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and Mobile County District Attorney’s Office conducted investigations into possible wrongdoing by the former priest.
Crow was a fan of exorcism (Youtube)No crime could be pinned on Crow, but in August 2023, the Archbishop of Mobile condemned him saying, “he saw no way back to the priesthood for Crow, considering his scandalous behaviour.” “I pray that this decision is one more way in which we can all move toward peace after these unsettling events. I continue to pray for God’s grace to bring healing for all,” Friday’s statement from the church explained.