Eastern Iowa Priest removed after allegation

A Roman Catholic priest has been relieved of his duties at three parishes in northeastern Iowa.The vicar general of the Dubuque archdiocese says the decision to remove Reverend Alan Schmidt came after allegations surfaced involving a man who attended the school of St. Patrick’s Church in Cedar Rapids in the 1970s. Schmidt will no longer be allowed to function as a priest or represent himself as a priest. He had presided over churches in Waukon, Dorchester and Hanover, all in Allamakee County.