KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The publisher of the National Catholic Reporter, an independent newspaper known for persistent coverage of issues in the Catholic church, has retired.

Tom Fox announced his retirement Monday in NCR’s online edition.  The headline noted “NCR veteran decides to take ‘rewirement’.”

Fox, who started working for NCR in 1980, said NCR published its first major story on clergy abusing minors in June 1985 and was alone in that reporting for years.

NCR Editor Dennis Coday said Thursday that Caitlin Hendel, NCR’s CEO and president, replaces Fox as publisher of NCR, which recently celebrated its 50-year anniversary. The newspaper is published every other week and has a circulation of about 33,000. Its website gets about 1.5 million visitors a month.