A
high-ranking priest with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is
facing a prostitution charge. Authorities say the Rev. Arthur Coyle was
granted $500 bail after pleading not guilty Monday in Lowell to a count
of 5exual conduct for a fee. Coyle is the Episcopal Vicar for the
Merrimack Region, meaning he oversees several parishes in the area. He
lives at the rectory of St. Rita’s parish in Lowell. Police say the
62-year-old Coyle was arrested just after 5 p.m. Sunday after he was
allegedly found with a prostitute behind a Lowell cemetery. A call to
St. Rita’s was referred to the archdiocese. An archdiocese spokesman did
not immediately return a call or email for comment. Coyle, 62, was
apparently arrested by police Sunday
afternoon after he was found with a
prostitute behind Lowell cemetery, the Associated Press reported. He
has since been granted a $500 bail, and has taken a voluntary
administrative leave from his duties at the church. “While on
administrative leave, Msgr. Coyle is prohibited from performing any
public ministry. These restrictions will remain in place pending the
outcome of the case. The steps taken today do not represent a
determination of Msgr. Coyle’s guilt or innocence as it pertains to
these charges,” the Boston Archdiocese said in an official statement on
the issue. “The Archdiocese asks for prayers for all impacted by this
matter.” Coyle has been serving as Episcopal Vicar of the Merrimack
Region for the Archdiocese since 2008, and oversees a number of parishes
in the area. According to accounts, this is not the first time he has
gone out searching for sexual favors. The woman who he allegedly paid
$40 on Sunday said this was the second time he had given her money for
sex, and police noted that the priest has been observed circling around
known prostitution spots in the area for close to a year. “Detectives
have observed Arthur Coyle in this same vehicle well over a dozen
times,” Lowell police Detective Rafael Rivera wrote in his report,
according to the Boston Herald.
“I have further observed him to stop and slow down every time he sees a
single female or a prostitute in the area.” Rivera added that he had
asked the priest why he had picked the woman up. “He (Coyle) said for
‘sex’ but they had not done anything. He went on to state that he had
offered her $40 for oral sex.” Mitchell Garabedian, an attorney
representing victims of the Catholic 5ex abuse scandal, told FOX 25:
“You have the supervisor soliciting prostitution and apparently seeking
it for months, and on the other hand you have that same person
supervising priests with regards to their own sexual activity. It’s not
rocket science. There’s a problem here.” Coyle was ordained in 1977 and
has served as vicar since 2008, receiving the title of “Prelate of
Honor” from Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. He is expected to be back in
court in September.
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