The former vicar general of the Archdiocese of St. Paul - Minneapolis has left the priesthood.Pope Francis has approved the request of Peter Laird to be laicized, the archdiocese has announced.
The former vicar general had submitted the request more than two years ago.
Laird resigned from his post as vicar general of the Minnesota archdiocese in October 2013, following charges that he was aware of a priest’s involvement in child pornography but allowed the priest to remain in active ministry.
He had not been active in priestly ministry since that time.
Laird had been appointed vicar general in 2009 by Archbishop John Nienstedt - who resigned himself in June 2015 in the wake of the sex-abuse scandal in the archdiocese.