A priest who served at Miami's oldest Catholic church was suspended amid accusations he sexually abused a student while teaching at a Tampa high school during the 1980s, according to published reports.

Allegations against Thomas J. Hidding, most recently an associate pastor of Gesu Catholic Church at 118 NE Second St., surfaced this month when a former student at Tampa's Jesuit High School reported the alleged abuse, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

Hidding, who could not be reached for comment, has been removed from active ministry while the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus -- which oversees Jesuit schools -- investigates the student's complaint.

The society announced Thursday that a preliminary investigation had found that a ''credible'' accusation had been brought against Hidding, but would not elaborate.

Hidding, 51, who taught at Jesuit High from 1980 to 1982, was preparing for the priesthood at the time. He was ordained in 1986 and served in several churches as well as the campus ministry at Loyola University in New Orleans before coming to Miami.

He joined the Gesu parish in 1999.

The church's pastor, the Rev. John Madden, referred all questions to the society's New Orleans office.