Eastland, Texas -- A priest serving 50 years in a Texas prison for abusing a boy has been dismissed from the clergy.
The Fort Worth Roman Catholic Diocese on Friday said Pope Benedict XVI has decreed that 70-year-old Thomas Teczar is no longer a priest.
Teczar was with the Fort Worth diocese from 1988-93 and served in several parishes, including Ranger, where the then-11-year-old boy was abused.
Teczar in 2007 was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison. His aggravated sexual assault and indecency convictions were overturned on appeal. Jurors in Eastland County in 2009 convicted Teczar of the same counts and doubled the original prison time.
Teczar was ordained in 1967 and served in the Worcester, Mass., diocese. Officials have said he was kicked out in 1986 for misconduct with boys.
