BIRMINGHAM (AL)
Birmingham Free Press [Birmingham, AL]
November 27, 2025
A longtime Catholic priest in the Birmingham area has been removed from the clerical state following allegations that he began a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl more than 15 years ago, the Diocese of Birmingham confirmed this week.
Father Robert Sullivan, 61, served as vicar general for the diocese and pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Homewood until he was placed on administrative leave in early August amid the claims. The accuser, Heather Jones, now 33, alleged the exploitative arrangement started around 2009 when she was 17 and working at an adult entertainment club near Birmingham that Sullivan frequented. Jones detailed years of sexual encounters, travel, financial support and a nondisclosure agreement for $273,000 after she raised concerns, according to her public account submitted to the diocese.
The stark 44-year age gap between Sullivan, ordained in 1993 after seminary training, and the teenager has drawn scrutiny amid the diocese’s canonical investigation forwarded to the Vatican. Alabama’s Department of Human Resources declined a state probe, citing the age of consent at 16, but church policy classifies anyone under 18 as a minor in abuse cases, leading to Sullivan’s removal from all public ministry. Recent local reports indicate the Vatican process concluded with his laicization, barring him permanently from priestly functions.
The Diocese of Birmingham serves about 250,000 Catholics across north and central Alabama, where Sullivan also led John Carroll Catholic High School for six years before his high-ranking diocesan role. No criminal charges have been filed, as the alleged conduct fell outside state statutes for prosecution.