Four months before Rev. Patrick Wattigny admitted to Archdiocese of New Orleans Officials that he sexually abused a child in 2013, he sent inappropriate text messages to a student Pope John Paul II High School, according to church officials and an attorney representing the student's family, WWL-TV reports.
The attorney said Wattigny was "grooming" the student for sexual activity.
Church officials denied that the texts contained any sexual innuendo, but did say that the messages broke archiocesan rules about contact with students.
WWL-TV reports the archdiocese said it was the investigation into the texts that led to Wattigny admitting to the 2013 incident.
The church announced Thursday that it had removed Wattigny from ministry, and law enforcement has been notified.