IRELAND
Irish Times
Patsy McGarry
A priest was allowed to have contact with children for at least two years after a female relative accused him in 2002 of abuse as a child, according to a report released today.
The Salvatorian priest later admitted that he had abused in excess of 100 children up to 2004.
The details are contained in the latest and final tranche of its reviews of child protection in Catholic institutions on the island of Ireland the church’s National Board for Safeguarding Children.
Following a complaint in 2002 by a relative that he abused her when she was a child , this priest was withdrawn from ministry in Dublin. However the reason given to the Archbishop of Dublin was the stress of his responsibilities. He was moved to Rome. There was no evidence that the then Provincial of the day complied with Church guidelines on handling the case, the review found.
In 2004, on a visit to Ireland, the priest was reported to gardaí by a family for the abuse of a daughter. He was arrested and convicted in 2007 in relation to the admitted abuse of “several girls” over a 25 year period. Sentenced to four years, all suspended except for 18 months, he left prison in 2009 and died later that year.
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