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"How Many More Did Chesney Hurt?" Derry Journal August 24 2010 http://www.derryjournal.com/journal/How-many-more-did-Chesney.6491760.jp The families of those killed and injured in the 1972 Claudy bombing say they're outraged at the revelation that Catholic priest Father James Chesney carried on with his IRA activities after being moved to a parish in Co. Donegal. Some of the families said it was "very hard indeed" to be told that police intelligence indicated that Fr. Chesney remained active in the IRA long after the Co. Derry atrocity which claimed nine lives. A report by the Police Ombudsman yesterday c oncluded that Fr. Chesney was transferred to a parish in Co Donegal following secret talks between the then Secretary of State William Whitelaw and the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Cardinal William Conway. The report reveals that the two men discussed the scandal after being approached by a senior Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer as the police were apparently reluctant to arrest the cleric for fear of inflaming the security situation. Representatives of some of the families said that, while the report told them "nothing they did not already know", discussions with those who compiled the report had revealed the shocking revelation that Chesney had continued in active service following his relocation to Donegal. Tracey McClelland, a relative of James McClelland - one of those killed - said: "I want to know how many more people he hurt, how many more lives he destroyed. I want to know how many more people would have lived if he had been brought to justice." |
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