Teacher Who Admitted Abusing Children Was Returned to Ministry

Irish Times
October 29, 2012

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/1029/1224325866862.html?via=rel

CANADA: A SECOND priest accused by Mark Vincent Healy of abusing him between 1969 and 1973, when he was a boy at St Mary's College, Rathmines, was Fr Arthur Carragher.

The priest, who died in Canada on January 10th, 2011, was ordained in 1952 and served in Nigeria for 17 years before joining the teaching staff at St Marys in 1969.

In 1971 he transferred to Toronto to the congregation's Trans Canada province.

That move was described to The Irish Times in June 2011 by then Holy Ghost Irish provincial Fr Brian Starken as "a little bit strange". In 2001 two Dublin brothers made allegations of abuse against Carragher and attempts were made to have the priest extradited to Ireland to face charges. These were frustrated as there is no extradition treaty between Ireland and Canada and a medical report stated Carragher was too ill to travel.

Carragher admitted the abuse of the brothers when they initiated a civil action against him in Canada. It is understood that they also received compensation.

Altogether Carragher was accused by four men, including Mark Vincent Healy, of abusing them when he was in Dublin. According to a local Spiritans magazine, Carragher, despite his admission of abusing two Dublin brothers in 2002, and their receiving compensation, was still in ministry at Hamilton, Ontario, in 2004.

Contacted about Carragher, and his years in Nigeria, a spokesman for the Spiritan/Holy Ghost Fathers said that "whilst we share a concern that something may have happened during Carraghers years in Nigeria, no such information has yet come to light".