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Second Abuse Claim Made Against Oklahoma Priest

BBC

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City says it has received a second credible accusation of child sexual abuse against a former priest.

The Oklahoman reports that a spokeswoman for the archdiocese said Friday that church officials have received a letter that accuses former priest Benjamin Zoeller of sexual assault in the early 1970s. Zoeller was a priest at Our Lady's Cathedral in Oklahoma City at the time.

Zoeller was removed as a priest in 2002 and was defrocked by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011.

The archdiocese in August received a separate letter accusing Zoeller of abusing a teenage boy in the 1980s.

An ensuing investigation by the archdiocese determined that Zoeller was volunteering at a church in Oklahoma City, and blocked him from volunteering at any archdiocese location.

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