Priest Faces Dismissal

Irish Independent
January 8, 2015

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/priest-faces-dismissal-30891271.html

A PRIEST facing dismissal has vowed to fight to clear his name after a top Vatican court rejected his appeal against being defrocked following a Church investigation into child sexual abuse allegations.

Fr Dan Duane (76) told the Irish Independent that he was "very disappointed" by the decision of the Vatican to uphold a ruling of the Apostolic Signatura, one of Rome's highest clerical courts, which recommended he be dismissed.

Fr Duane, from Mallow, Co Cork, has been in restricted ministry for the past eight years, and had appealed the ruling of a canonical court in Ireland that he be dismissed from the clerical state.

Pope Francis has now endorsed the decision of the Roman court and the Diocese of Cloyne yesterday apologised to those who had levelled abuse allegations for the length of time the clerical dismissal process took.

Pension scheme

The Government is set to formally approve plans to introduce a "universal pension saving scheme", the Irish Independent can reveal.

Tanaiste Joan Burton will bring a memo to Cabinet today seeking approval to proceed with work to develop a roadmap and timeline for the introduction of the new, universal supplementary pension saving scheme.

The scheme is intended to ensure everyone will have enough funds to cover the cost of their retirement, especially lower paid workers.

Bid for Facebook site

US bank JPMorgan Chase is among the bidders for Facebook's Dublin offices.

The bank, along with Union Investment, is on the shortlist for the office block at 4 and 5 Grand Canal Square in the Dublin Docklands.

Hibernia REIT and Irish Life have also bid for the offices, which are being sold by Joe O'Reilly's Chartered Land for around ˆ216m.

The buildings leased to Facebook in the city's docklands district were designed by celebrity architect Daniel Libeskind and are being sold as part of a portfolio called the "Tara Collection". Facebook will not be affected by any sale.

ˆ319k waste bill

A JUDGE has ordered the boss of a waste collection company to appear in court over a four-year-old unpaid ˆ319,614 landfill bill.

Jim Ferry (57) wasn't in court when Donegal County Council made an application to have the money paid.

Solicitor Lisa Finnegan, for the council, told Letterkenny District Court that the bill had been outstanding since March 2010.

Irish Independent