KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The pastor of a Kansas City church has been removed from his ministry over allegations of sexual misconduct with minors.
The Kansas City-St. Joseph diocese announced Rev. Michael Tierney's removal from Christ the King parish late Thursday.
The diocese said in a statement that its review board received credible reports about sexual misconduct with minors by Tierney in the early 1970s and 1980s. The diocese said board members met with one alleged victim and considered information about two others.
The statement says Tierney denies the allegations and is cooperating with the process.
Tierney was accused in a civil lawsuit last year of molesting a 13-year-old Missouri boy in 1971. The Kansas City Star reports that at the time the diocese said it would vigorously defend Tierney against the allegations.