Paul Richard Shanley (January 25, 1931 – October 28, 2020) was an American Roman Catholic priest who became the center of a massive sexual abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts. Beginning in 1967, the archdiocese covered up numerous allegations of child sexual assault against Shanley and facilitated his transfers to other states. Shanley was convicted of child rape and removed from the priesthood in 2004. Shanley appealed his conviction in 2007 based on questions about the validity of repressed memories, but his conviction was upheld. Shanley was incarcerated from 2005 until his release from state prison in 2017. He died in 2020. Biography Early life Paul Shanley was born on January 25, 1931, in Boston, Massachusetts. His father owned a bowling alley and pool room and his mother worked as a legal secretary. Shanley attended Huntington School for Boys, working in the summer as a camp counselor. Shanley would later claim that he was sexually abused by a priest when he was 12 years old. After graduating from high school in 1950, Shanley entered Boston University. However, after two years, he entered St. John’s Seminary in Boston to study for the priesthood. Priesthood 1960's Shanley was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston in 1960. After his ordination, Shanley was assigned as an assistant pastor at St. Patrick's Parish in Stoneham, Massachusetts. The next year, a parent in Stoneham complained to the police that Shanley had sexually abused his 11 year old son. The police were ready to prosecute Shanley, but the father backed off. The mother wrote a complaint letter to Cardinal Richard Cushing, the archbishop, but heard nothing back. There were other complaints about Shanley in Stoneham. In 1967, a priest at the National Shrine of our Lady of La Salette in Attleboro, Massachusetts wrote a complaint letter to the archdiocese about Shanley. The priest relayed allegations from two boys that Shanley sexually abused them during a weekend visit to a cabin in the Blue Hills. In 1969, Shanley started his Youth Apostolate in the Roxbury section of Boston, ministering to people suffering from drug addiction and young runaways struggling with their sexuality. He gained "the nickname the hippie priest for his long hair and outspoken views, including his public rejection of the church's condemnation of homosexuality." Shanley's writings included Changing Norms of Sexuality. His work with youth inspired three nuns to start a