Olson told the newspaper he asked Kirkham to resign to demonstrate his commitment to enforcing a safe environment for clergy members, church employees, minors and others who might be vulnerable.

The situation started last fall when Kirkham met the unidentified Dallas Diocese priest for drinks at a Frisco restaurant. During that meeting, the priest allegedly told Kirkham about a sexual relationship he was having with a woman he'd met through church events.

Sometime between October and June, the Dallas priest grew uncomfortable with the intensity of his friendship with Kirkham. According to Olson, Kirkham had embraced the priest and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Kirkham then ignored the priest's requests to stop contacting him and wrote the letter, Olson told the Star-Telegram, "as an attempt to manipulate" the priest.

"Let me recount to you our conversation at Rock Fish in October," Kirkham states in the letter, which was obtained by KXAS-TV (NBC5). "We were sitting at the bar you had been drinking and you told me you had a girlfriend and were getting laid."

Kirkham's letter also refers to comments allegedly made by the priest about masturbation, the woman's physical features and sexual preferences and the casual nature of the relationship.

He says he advised the priest to cut off the relationship but said the priest told him he wasn't worried about the affair because the woman had "more to lose" than he did.

Kirkham also accused the priest of reckless and risky behaviors, including alcohol and sex addiction. He said he would report the priest to the diocese for sexual misconduct and advised him to retain legal counsel.

"You need to seek help," he wrote. "You will soon be immediately removed from ministry and your faculties suspended for the investigation. It will be announced at all masses at every parish you ever served."

He ends the letter by saying, "Good luck and God Bless."

Olson said that Kirkham never filed any reports, in violation of Fort Worth Diocese policy requiring officials to report allegations of sexual abuse or misconduct.

Olson told the Star-Telegram he learned of the letter only after the Dallas priest shared it with Dallas Bishop Edward J. Burns, who contacted Olson with a copy of the correspondence. Identifying details about the priest, the woman and parish were redacted.

"The letter, as I read it, is hostile, aggressive and is threatening," said Olson, who visited St. Martin de Porres on June 30 and July 1 to announce Kirkham's resignation to parishioners.

A statement issued by the Dallas Diocese notes that the diocese did not directly receive Kirkham's letter but says officials immediately conducted an inquiry upon learning of its contents. The priest has not been suspended, it said.

"Both parties in the Diocese of Dallas were shocked by the allegations and deny it to be true," the statement said. "Both of these individuals are believed to be credible."

After Kirkham tried to take back his resignation, Olson sent him on an out-of-state trip and in the meantime changed the locks on the diocese-owned property where Kirkham lived. On July 3, a judge permitted Kirkham to reenter the property to gather his things, the Star-Telegram reported.