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	Priest's Confessions Add to Shock Felt by Parishioners By Judith Duffy Sunday Herald [Scotland] May 6, 2007 http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.1379979.0.priests_confessions_add_to_shock_felt_by_parishioners.php When the body of Angelika Kluk was discovered in St Patrick's Church in Glasgow last year, parishioners were quick to offer support to their priest, a highly regarded member of the community. "He has done so much good work here," said one local woman. But in the course of the six-week trial of Peter Tobin, a very different portrait of Father Gerry Nugent emerged. The 63-year-old prompted lurid headlines as he claimed to have had sex with Kluk and an affair with another parishioner, and also admitted to being an alcoholic. Yesterday the revelations continued as Nugent, in an interview with a tabloid newspaper, confessed to picking up prostitutes and taking them back to his chapel for sex. He also claimed to have had a series of sexual liaisons since the age of 28, many of them with married parishioners. The details of the priest's conduct have left the Catholic Church in Scotland not only battling to deal with the tragedy of Kluk's horrific murder, but with yet another scandal threatening to tarnish its reputation. Just hours after the end of the trial, MarioConti,theArchbishopof Glasgow, was forced to issue a public apology. He said that while Nugent's "open house" policy at St Patrick's had resulted in many needy people being helped over the years, his conduct had fallen "well short" of that expected of every priest. "It is my duty, on behalf of the whole Archdiocese, to apologise to all who have been hurt or scandalised by what has been revealed to have taken place," Conti's statement said. The shamed priest has now resigned and will not be assigned anywhere else, but the Church will now undoubtedly face questions over whether a closer eye should have been kept on Nugent. It has emerged that the late Cardinal Thomas Winning confronted the priest following anonymous allegations of a sexual assault in 1993. Nugent also admitted to an "inappropriate" sexual encounter. Nugent was given treatment and counselling after it was concluded the incident was the result of alcohol dependency, but, as events have shown, the issues were clearly not resolved. This is by no means the first time that a sex scandal has rocked the Catholic Church in Scotland: last year Father Roddy MacNeil - who had a parish in Barra in the Western Isles and was dubbed"FatherFlash"-becamea father after his former lover, who is also his cousin, gave birth to a girl. And in 1996,thelateRoddyWright,then Bishop of Argyll and the Isles, shocked the Church when he ran off with a divorcee from his congregation. But Scotland is an increasingly secular society and with only around 10% of the population attending services on a Sunday, it could be argued these transgressions are soon largely forgotten. According to Harry Conroy, editor of the Scottish Catholic Observer, Kluk's horrific murder will have the most lasting impact on the congregation of St Patrick's Church itself. "This was a very close-knit community and the vast majority of parishioners lived in the area and had been parishioners for many, many years," he said. "Who would ever believe that a murder would be committed in your own church? They have got to come to terms with that and then they have got to come to terms with admissions made by Father Nugent in the witness box. "I don't think it has damaged people's belief and faith, but it has damaged the pride and identity they had with their local parish." The murder has also posed wider questions over the operation of "open-door"policiesinmodernsociety. Conroy said that this was a "terrible dilemma" which faced churches of all denominations. "What perhaps this Angelika Kluk's murder teaches us is that in any organised open house which has the main purpose of in mind of helping those in need,therestillhastobecertain regulations and disciplines installed to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone," he added. "I have no doubt the Church will learn from this." However, others argue that one terrible tragedy should not lead to a situation where churches may not be able to assist those in need. Johnston McKay, a religious broadcaster and clerk of the presbytery of Ardrossan, said that while appropriate checks on people have to be made, churches should be careful not to become "closed and tight". "The church is always open to be exploited and I would much rather that it was than that it closed its doors and said we are not having anything to do with anybody for fear of being vulnerable," he said. Meanwhile, the gates of St Patrick's Church, in the heart of the Anderston community,remainlockedasit undergoes a total refurbishment. It is expected to reopen in the autumn, with aformalceremonyconductedby Archbishop Conti. A new parish priest will also be appointed. But the memory of the horrific events which took place behind the church's doors is likely to remain for longer. One local summed up the feelings of the community shortly after the guilty verdict on Tobin was announced: "The whole thing has just been so shocking. You just don't expect something like this to happen on your own doorstep." Contact: judith.duff@sundayherald.com
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