Parents Unhappy at Lack of Information Relating to Father Paul Morton Investigation
By Douglas Dickie
An online blog has accused South Lanarkshire Council and the Catholic Church of keeping parents in the dark about the investigation surrounding Father Paul Morton. The blog, from a parent at St Charles’ Primary - where Father Morton acts as chaplain - claims the parents have received no information from the school. Father Morton was suspended from his post at St Bride’s earlier this month after police launched an investigation into allegations of historic sexual abuse. Parishioners at St Bride’s were not initially told the reason for his absence on Sunday, October 5, with Bishop of Motherwell Joseph Toal, telling the flock to pray for the absent priest. But writing under the name of “daftmamma”, the St Charles’ parent says parents had a right to know what is going on. She wrote: “The priest who deals with the school on a regular basis has recently been suspended due to allegations of historical sexual abuse and there has been no letter from the school or a meeting for parents and carers, to explain matters and how we are supposed to explain things to our kids should they get wind of it and ask questions?” The blog goes on to say: “The other ‘issue’ that I have was , with the requests made before the story appeared in the papers, to pray for the priest. Now, whether he is innocent or guilty, I feel its incredible that the members of his congregation weren’t even told why they were praying for him and that they were led to believe he was sick or had come to harm!” Daftmamma, who is known to the Reformer, writes that she has no issue with the school headteacher or staff, but says the silence from the authorities has led to rumours starting, saying: “I think its despicable and some kids already have an idea of what has happened which has resulted in stories being spread around the school yard.” Other parents at St Bride’s Primary have also expressed concerns about how the situation has been handled. One said: “I am very disappointed that parents at the school have not been kept in the loop about what is going on and church goers were asked to pray for him with no explanation given.” Police said this week their investigation was still ongoing. Parishioners at St Bride’s have vowed to stand by Father Morton, who moved to the Cambuslang church in 2000. He previously took a sabbatical from St Bride’s but parishioners missed him so much that they started a petition which was sent to the Bishop of Motherwell, requesting that he return after his break. A South Lanarkshire Council spokesperson said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on this matter at this time.” A spokesman for the Diocese of Motherwell said: “While this is a difficult situation for both the school and the parish, both have acted in exact accordance with their respective guidelines. “Information on the details of the allegations being made are a matter entirely for the police who are responsible for conducting any investigation. Both the Local Authority and the Diocese of Motherwell must await the outcome of this investigation before they can take any further action. “Until then, neither Bishop Toal nor the Diocese of Motherwell will be making any further statements.”
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