IRELAND
Irish Central
An elderly Irish cleric is appealing his dismissal from the priesthood directly to Pope Francis and to a top Vatican court.
According to the Irish Independent the priest, known only by the pseudonyms ‘Fr Ronat’ and ‘Fr B’, faces being defrocked after a church canonical court upheld the abuse allegations lodged against him by former minors in the diocese of Cloyne. ‘Fr Ronat’ was at the center of judicial enquiry known as the Cloyne Report which dealt with complaints against 19 priests made from 1996.
A relative of the cleric told the Independent that an appeal has been lodged within the stipulated 15-day period.
‘We are very disappointed with the negative outcome. But there will be an appeal, particularly in respect of the fact we believe that a full defense against the allegations was not properly taken into account,’ he said.
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