KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Father Michael Scully, a Catholic priest in Lawrence, has been suspended due to allegations of child sex abuse.
The Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, announced his suspension on March 25 in The Leaven, a Kansas City, Kansas, archdiocesan publication.
Before his suspension, Scully worked at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Lawrence, the Holy Family Parish in Eudora and the Haskell Indian Nations University Catholic Center in Lawrence.
"Upon the publication of the allegation, the province and the archdiocese relieved Father Scully from public exercise of priestly ministry pending the outcome of the investigation and review process," The Leaven said. "The province has notified law enforcement, initiated an independent investigation and evaluation by its Independent Review Board, and is providing support to the person alleging him."
The Leaven also said that Scully is denying the allegations and is "cooperating fully" with the investigation. The archdiocese said that Scully will remain on leave until the independent investigation has concluded and the Independent Review Board has made a recommendation.
SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in a release that they are urging church officials "to use their considerable resources to aggressively seek out anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes or cover-ups by Fr. Scully of his supervisors or colleagues."
"It's crucial that other possible victims, witnesses and whistleblowers be prodded to come forward so that the truth can be determined, kids can be protected and victims can heal," the SNAP release said.
