FLORIDANORTHERN IRELAND
Derry Joural
A Derry priest has been granted permission to sue an American Catholic Diocese for defamation.
Fr. John Gallagher, who now lives in Palm Beach, Florida, but previously ministered in the Long Tower Parish, claims he was defamed after refusing to cover up sex offences committed by another priest.
Fr. Gallagher, from Strabane, began legal proceedings againt the Diocese of Palm Beach in January.
He claims he was punished for ignoring instructions not to tell the authorities that a visiting priest, Fr. Jose Palimattom, had shown pornographic images to a 14-year-old in January 2015.
After Fr. Gallagher worked with the local Sherriff’s Office to help prosecute Palimattom, he claims he was frozen out of his priestly duties and locked out of his home.
This was disputed by the Diocese of Palm Beach.
The diocese also disputed claims it had tried to cover up the abuse in three comments posted on its website and in a letter sent and ordered to be read at all Masses in the five-county diocese.
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