IRELAND
Irish Examiner
By John Breslin
A CO SLIGO priest who stood aside pending an investigation into allegations of sexual assault is believed to have been the subject of a civil action in the United States.
The priest agreed to stand down pending the completion of an investigation into allegations which date back to the 1960s.
Sixteen complaints of child abuse have been made against nine priests in the Diocese of Elphin, the fourth highest number in the country.
Complaints were filed in the US against a priest with the same name as the Sligo clergyman who is now being investigated.
A civil suit was filed in 2002 against the priest. A woman alleged her son and daughter were abused by him in the 1960s in the US.