PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Vatican has accepted the decision of a tribunal that found a former Maine priest guilty of abusing a minor.

The Diocese of Portland says 74-year-old Frederick A. Carrigan was removed from the ministry in 2002 after being accused of abuse dating to 1972.

Carrigan, who now lives out of state, has been assigned to a life of prayer and penance. During his ministry, he served at parishes in Bath, Gardiner, Bangor, Dover-Foxcroft, East Millinocket and Hampden.

The diocese also announced Friday that a church volunteer in Augusta was removed because of a previous conviction of sexual abuse of a minor. Paul Douin, who’s 69, escaped a background check despite being sentenced in 1977 to four years in prison.