Former Alabama priest who and left country, married teen officially defrocked

 A Catholic priest who married a teenage girl after she fled the country this summer has been removed from the priesthood, church officials announced Friday.

The Archdiocese of Mobile announced in a statement that Alex Crowe is no longer a member of the clergy. The church said Crowe requested that he be removed from the priesthood.

The relationship between the pastor and the teen attracted international attention this summer. South Alabama authorities said Crowe left the country in late July with an 18-year-old woman who had recently graduated from McGill-Toolen Catholic High School. News outlets reported that Crowe did not teach at the school, but visited theology classes and heard confessions there.

Church officials said Friday they had received a letter from Pope Francis confirming that Crowe's defrocking, known as laicization, has been completed.

Archbishop Thomas J. Roddy said in a statement, "I pray that this decision is another way we can all move toward peace after these troubling events. I pray for God's grace to bring healing to all." "Continue to do."

The Archdiocese of Mobile announced Crowe's suspension in July and said bishops could begin the process of removing him from the priesthood after he was absent from his duties for six months. Authorities said Crowe requested to remove himself before the six months had passed.

A marriage certificate filed late last year indicates that Crowe and the young woman were married. The district attorney in Mobile County announced last year that it had closed its investigation into any criminal wrongdoing in the couple's relationship.