Irish Priest Who Fled US after Sex Abuse Finding Protests Innocence
By Eimear Ni Bhraonain
AN Irish priest who fled the US after a civil jury found him guilty of molesting an altar boy last night insisted on his innocence after absconding from the trial. Fr Michael Kelly, from Ballingarry, Co Tipperary, yesterday said that he was in Ireland on "health grounds". The 62-year-old cleric has protested his innocence since he was first accused in 2008 of sexually abusing a student in the mid-1980s. However, his actions this week have stunned even his own legal team as he flew to Ireland the day before he was due to give evidence in the second phase of his sexual abuse civil trial. His friends in Ballingarry yesterday expressed shock and disbelief that he didn't "stay and stand his ground". But last night, speaking through a family member in Thurles, Co Tipperary, Fr Kelly said: "I'm innocent -- and I'm here on health grounds." Fr Kelly, who has not yet been defrocked but is banned from wearing a collar or performing sacraments, was "anxious" to put the record straight, according to his family. His relatives and close friends were aware of the allegations made against him while he was in California, as he often spoke about the matter during visits to Ireland. Fr Kelly joined the Stockton diocese in California in 1973, after finishing his seminary studies in Thurles, Co Tipperary. He was removed from ministry after the civil verdict when he was sued by a now 37-year-old man for sexual misconduct when the plaintiff was an altar boy in the mid-1980s. Tendencies The second phase of the civil trial -- to determine if the diocese took appropriate action when it learned about allegations against Fr Kelly -- is still ongoing. Every year Fr Kelly spends one month in Thurles in his brother's home. Yesterday, the Irish Independent called to this house but Fr Kelly was not there. It is believed he may be on retreat nearby. A Ballingarry resident who knows Fr Kelly and observed him growing up, said the priest was "no Fr Fortune". "I've known him all his life. There is actual shock over it. He never came across as having any tendencies towards children. Why did he go? It is not after helping his case but maybe he panicked?" Locals who knew Fr Kelly said they were aware of the allegation against him as he "discussed it" when he visited on holidays. Fr Kelly had told his attorney in the US he was very ill and wanted to "die with his family". On April 6, a jury in the US found him liable for sexual misconduct against an unidentified man when he was a Stockton parish school student more than 25 years ago. Fr Kelly is understood to have been suffering with stomach complaints and ill-health for the past number of years. Meanwhile, in the US, Fr Kelly's attorney, Thomas Beatty, said he spoke by phone with his client on Monday afternoon. "I wanted him to return. I asked him to return. But he's lost a lot of weight in the past eight days and said he wants to die with his family."
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