A long-serving bishop has sparked a storm of controversy over his fitness for the job after revealing he once thought paedophilia was “friendship gone too far”.

A long-serving bishop has sparked a storm of controversy over his fitness for the job after revealing he used to think paedophilia was friendship gone too far.

Barnardos chief executive Fergus Finlay has described as "a childish excuse" comments from Bishop of Clonfert John Kirby that he previously regarded paedophilia as a "friendship that crossed a boundary line".

Bishop of Clonfert John Kirby said today that he had previously regarded paedophilia as a "friendship that crossed a boundary line"

Gardaí have interviewed 17 men who claim they were sexually abused while attending a college on the outskirts of Cork.

THE GAA says it was never informed by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart that complaints of sexual abuse had been lodged against one of the Cork county selectors and he continued to work with them for 11 years after the initial complaint.

FORMER pupils of a Cork boarding school will meet in Dublin this month with the Fianna Fáil senator who used Seanad privilege to uncloak their former principal as an alleged child abuser who flouted his restricted ministry.

SENIOR members of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart intend to interview former pupils and teachers at a Co Cork boarding school as part of its efforts to tackle ongoing allegations of sexual abuse by a former principal.

DESPITE offloading over €670 million worth of land during the property boom, the religious orders at the centre of the redress re-negotiations retained €3.1 billion in property assets.

“IF I opened a head shop here, I wouldn’t be facing penalties like these,” a newsagent said when reminded he could serve 10 years in jail or face fines as high as €300,000 for selling pre-signed Mass cards.

FIVE religious orders have handed over the trusteeship of more than 100 second level schools to a lay organisation in a landmark move in the Irish education system.