Boston Archdiocese Monsignor Arthur Coyle has been arrested after offering to pay a female prostitute $40 for a blowjob behind the Holy Trinity Polish Cemetery in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Coyle, 62, of Lowell was arraigned this morning in Lowell District Court. Bail was set at $500 cash, and he was slated to return to court Sept. 16 for a pretrial conference, said Middlesex district attorney’s spokeswoman Stephanie Guyotte. In a statement released this afternoon, the archdiocese said Coyle had voluntarily taken a leave of absence from his post as episcopal vicar for the Merrimack Region, a post he has held since 2008. “While on administrative leave, Msgr. Coyle is prohibited from performing any public ministry,’’ the archdiocese said in the statement. “These restrictions will remain in place pending the outcome of the case. The steps taken today do not represent a determination of Msgr. Coyle’s guilt or innocence as it pertains to these charges.’’ The statement concluded with the sentence, “The Archdiocese asks for prayers for all impacted by this matter.’’
Police say that Coyle had been seen cruising a known prostitution area more than a dozen times in the past. During his arrest, Coyle reportedly told the police that he didn’t even get the blowjob. Pity. A press release from the Archdiocese stresses that Coyle was arrested for sexual misconduct “involving an adult.”