SOUTH PORTLAND (AP) – A Roman Catholic priest has resigned following an investigation into his involvement with a former church volunteer who had been charged with sexual assault.

The Rev. Paul Coughlin, 69, tendered his resignation at the request of Bishop Richard Malone, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. The resignation is effective immediately and was being announced this weekend at the Holy Cross and St. John the Evangelist parishes, where he had served since 1996.

Coughlin was temporarily removed from his position in August while church officials investigated whether he put children at risk by allowing John Skinner Sr. to live with him at the St. John’s rectory.

Skinner had been indicted for sexually assaulting a teenager and has admitted abusing young people from the late 1970s until 2003, according to the diocese. He is now serving a prison term.

The investigation found that Coughlin failed to follow church policy when he failed to report that he received information in 1989 from a minor who had been sexually abused by Skinner, and that he failed to assist the victim, church officials said.

The investigation also found that Coughlin allowed Skinner to live at the St. John rectory from 1999-2001, where he had access to minors when he attended a youth ministry convention and claimed to be a representative of the parishes.

There was no evidence that Skinner abused minors in South Portland or at the youth convention, the church said.

The diocese further said that it reviewed a complaint from two years ago against Coughlin alleging sexual misconduct with a minor in 1985.

“Although no new evidence specifically regarding the 2002 complaint was found, it is now reasonable to believe there was inappropriate physical contact at that time,” the church said in a prepared statement.

The 2002 and 2004 investigations have been turned over the attorney general’s office for review, the church said.

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