A Catholic priest in the state of Alabama in the United States has reportedly married an 18-year-old girl who ran away with him to Italy.
Alex Crow, a 30-year-old Catholic priest, married the girl, who was a high school graduate in 2023, according to a marriage certificate filed in Mobile County on Monday, the New York Post said.
She had just turned 18 in June, the document says. The lady attended McGill-Toolen Catholic High, where Crow frequently visited theology classes, according to the report.
The relationship between the two came to light when authorities discovered a love letter she received from the priest on Valentine's Day when she was still a student.
Crow and the woman went to Europe over the summer before returning to the United States earlier this month, AL.com reported.
Crow, who has already been suspended, may have given his last sermon, Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi was quoted as saying this week, according to the report.
"The recent news of Crow's civil marriage only confirms the Archbishop's judgment. Archbishop Rodi hopes that the Vatican will finally depose Alex Crow," read a statement from the Archdiocese of Simu.
Rodi, in his previous statement, criticized the spiritual leader and said his actions were "absolutely unbecoming of a priest."
"He has been informed by the archbishop that he can no longer serve as a priest, nor tell people that he is a priest, nor dress like a priest," he said.
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