BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — A woman who accused longtime Roman Catholic priest Robert “Bob” Sullivan of engaging in sexual activity with her when she was 17 says no one has “truly won” after his resignation from the clergy. In her first public remarks since church officials announced Sullivan’s voluntary removal, Heather Jones said she felt relief that “truth finally [came] to light” after years of minimizing her experience.
Jones, now 33, said she met Sullivan while working at a club outside Birmingham, where she had found employment despite being under the legal age. She alleged that Sullivan offered financial support in exchange for private companionship, eventually leading to a long-term arrangement that included sex, travel and payments that she says amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Sullivan, 61, later asked Pope Leo XIV to release him from all priestly obligations, a request the Vatican approved.
Jones said speaking out was emotionally difficult and described efforts to discredit her as overwhelming. She also said other women shared similar experiences with her, strengthening her resolve.
While Alabama’s legal age of consent is 16, a 2024 law made it a felony for clergy to engage in sexual activity with individuals under 19 — a statute that did not apply retroactively to Sullivan. Jones herself faces a pending misdemeanor case unrelated to her allegations, which she believes may have been intended to cast doubt on her credibility.
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