Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

According to John Kearns, spokesman for the Diocese of Fall River, confirmed Thursday that Paquette was originally ordained in the Fall River diocese in 1957. After receiving complaints of "improper behavior" by Paquette, then-Bishop James L. Connolly ordered the priest to undergo a series of evaluations and denied him permission to continue to present himself as a priest.

He said that despite that order, and despite a strong recommendation by Bishop Connolly not to admit him, the Diocese of Fort Wayne accepted Paquette's request that he be incardinated in the diocese there and to work again as a Catholic priest.

Paquette was able to do that in part because under the rules of the Catholic Church, each bishop is considered is given free reign to run his own diocese, irrespective of what other bishops might say or recommend. The only way for a priest to be permanently reduced to lay status is by a decree from the Holy See, as reflected by the recent decree by Pope Benedict.

According to the anti-clergy sexua- abuse group BishopAccountability.org, the Fort Wayne diocese informed Paquette in 1971 after receiving numerous complaints, that he was "no longer needed. He was immediately accepted into the Burlington diocese in 1972, serving there for six years before being barred from ministry there.

There are reports that after his removal, Paquette would still be seen occasionally wearing a Roman collar. Living in Westfield, Mass., he reportedly has lived a quiet life over the last three decades, insisting that he is innocent of all the allegations against him.