PORTLAND—In accordance with diocesan policy, Fr. Robert Vaillancourt has been placed on temporary administrative leave pending an investigation into an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor girl in the 1980s. Fr. Vaillancourt is currently the pastor of St. Brendan the Navigator Parish (Our Lady of Good Hope Church, Camden; St. Bernard Church, Rockland; St. Francis of Assisi Church, Belfast; St. Mary of the Isles Churches on Islesboro, Vinalhaven and North Haven). Bishop Deeley has appointed Monsignor Paul Stefanko, who has been serving at the parish in recent months, as temporary administrator of the parish, effective immediately.

Fr. Vaillancourt has denied any wrongdoing and indicated that he will cooperate with any investigation into the matter. The temporary administrative leave is not a presumption of guilt or a result of suspected wrongdoing, but is the protocol followed by the diocese. It is for the purpose of preserving the integrity of the…