A former Baltimore County priest convicted of sexually abusing a minor has been removed from the priesthood.The allegations stem from the late 1980s.
Father Jerome Toohey was punished in the criminal justice system.
Now, the Vatican finally answered calls from abuse victims to formally dismiss Toohey from the clerical state.
"It was my most guarded secret that I had way tucked away and did not want to talk about," said Thomas Roberts.
Roberts was 14 and a sophomore at Calvert Hall High School when the sexual abuse started. That abuse lasted until Roberts graduated.
"You're ashamed at what has taken place, you don't want to talk about it, you're embarrassed, and you internalize it. In this situation, I internalized it for a long time," said Roberts.
In 1993, the church restricted Toohey from performing any duties as a priest after receiving what they said was a credible allegation of molestation.
Eighteen years later, in November 2005, Toohey admitted to sexually abusing Roberts. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison. He served nine months and was then placed on home detention.
This was frustrating to Roberts and a second victim, Michaels Goals.
"As far as home detention, I don't think that nearly equals the amount of pain that either one of us went through over the course of the fight, bringing him to justice or attempting to. It's disappointing," said Goals.
A statement from Edwin O'Brien, Baltimore's archbishop, says, "The archdiocese is committed to protecting children and helping to heal victims of abuse. We are deeply sorry for the pain suffered by survivors of abuse due to the actions of clergy."
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