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Judge mulls bail reduction request from ex-priest's attorney

Paul Shanley at Thursday's hearing.

BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- A judge said Thursday he will issue a written order on a request for a bail reduction for Paul Shanley, accused of repeatedly raping a young boy while serving as a Roman Catholic priest.

Middlesex Superior Court Judge Charles Hely gave no timetable for his order. He heard arguments in a Cambridge courtroom from attorneys who discussed Shanley's bail, set Tuesday at $750,000 by Newton District Judge Dyanne Klein.

Shanley's attorney, Frank Mondano, who asked for the bail review hearing, said amount should be reduced because Shanley "is 71, he has limited means, he's in bad health, no criminal record and he is a candidate for personal recognizance."

Shanley pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Tuesday. Wearing a gray suit and a gray tie, he stood listening to the Thursday hearing.

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Klein ordered that if Shanley makes bail, he must surrender his passport, remain in Massachusetts, have no contact with children under age 16, and stay away from witnesses. And, she said, if he is charged with any other offense while out on bail, the bail could be revoked.

Lynn Rooney, assistant deputy district attorney of Middlesex County, repeated arguments she made during the arraignment that Shanley is "a tremendous risk of flight" and pointed out that he has contemplated leaving the country.

She urged that bail remain at what it is and the conditions be kept in place if he makes bail.

Also, she said, Shanley could still face additional criminal charges from others who have contacted authorities about the priest.

The retired priest was arrested at his San Diego, California, apartment last week on three counts of raping a child. He was extradited to Massachusetts Monday and placed in the custody of Newton, Massachusetts, authorities.

The alleged victim in the case has been identified by authorities as a 24-year-old man who says Shanley raped and molested him in the rectory, the bathroom and even the confessional booth between 1983 and 1990 while Shanley served at St. Jean Parish in Newton, Massachusetts.

Archdiocese of Boston officials have turned over internal documents that say Shanley had publicly advocated sex between men and boys and that church officials had known since 1967 about allegations of sexual abuse leveled against him.