A Catholic priest serving in the Maitland/Newcastle diocese has been charged, accused of sexual assaulting a young boy nearly 40 years ago.
Police allege the abuse occurred between 1979 and 1980 on the Mid North Coast.
In March 2014, a 46-year-old man told the Royal Commission into child sex abuse he had been sexually assaulted by two Catholic priests and another man between the ages of nine and 12.
Detectives from the Manning/Great Lakes command arrested the 76-year-old Newcastle man at about 12pm on Thursday.
He's been charged with three counts of indecent assault and was granted conditional bail to appear in Foster Local Court next month.