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Paul Shanley, Boston Catholic Priest Convicted Of Raping Boy, Is Released From Prison

Paul Shanley was convicted in 2005 of repeatedly raping and fondling a boy at a suburban parish in the 1980s. (Yoon S. Byun/AP)
Paul Shanley was convicted in 2005 of repeatedly raping and fondling a boy at a suburban parish in the 1980s. (Yoon S. Byun/AP)

A notorious figure in the Boston Roman Catholic priest sex abuse scandal has been released from prison after completing a 12-year sentence for the rape of a boy in the 1980s.

Massachusetts prison officials say Paul Shanley was released from the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater on Friday.

Shanley was a "street priest" who ministered to alienated youth in the 1960s and `70s. Decades later, dozens of men came forward and said Shanley had molested or raped them. He was defrocked by the Vatican and convicted of raping a boy at a Newton parish.

Abuse victims say they're concerned the 86-year-old Shanley will not have enough supervision. He isn't required to wear an electronic monitoring device.

His lawyer says he's served his time and is not dangerous.

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