PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

By John P. Martin
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia plans to suspend a longtime parish priest almost two decades after church officials first learned that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The priest, Msgr. Richard T. Powers, is expected to be removed from his post as a senior priest at Epiphany of Our Lord in South Philadelphia and placed on administrative leave pending a review.

Powers, 76, who has served at parishes across the region since being ordained in 1963, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Messages left at the Epiphany rectory weren’t returned. Donna Farrell, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese, declined to comment.