A priest accused of sexual abuse will have one last chance to win an appeal to be allowed back into the clergy.

The Diocese of Charlotte issued a release on Saturday outlining the process surrounding the situation involving Patrick Hoare, a former priest who was removed from St. Matthew Catholic Church in Ballantyne.

Hoare was removed on July 1, 2020 after the diocese says his observed behaviors with minors, “constituted boundary violations.” He had previously been accused of sexual abuse of minors when he was a priest in Pennsylvania. The results of that investigation are still unknown.

Additional reasons given for Hoare’s removal included concerns raised over his conduct with minors at St. Matthews, acting in a “manner that brings grave detriment to ecclesiastical communion,” and claims his ministry had become “harmful and/or ineffective.”

In the release, Bishop Peter Jugis stated that Hoare has been on…