Priest steps down as abuse claim investigated

A PRIEST has stepped down from duties in a parish in the mid-west amid allegations of child abuse.

Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, asked the priest to step aside from regular parish duties while an allegation relating to an incident around 20 years ago is investigated.

“A previous allegation was made in Britain some eight years ago in relation to the same priest,” a statement from the Diocese of Killaloe said.

“Both he and the diocese of Killaloe fully co-operated with the investigation undertaken by the British authorities at that time. These authorities decided not to proceed with any charge in relation to that particular case.”

The diocese said the issue was raised in relation to child protection regarding a priest in a parish ministry in recent weeks.

Bishop Walsh consulted the Child Protection Committee of the diocese and following Church regulations he asked the priest to step aside while the allegation was investigated. The Diocese confirmed the priest willingly agreed.

On the last occasion that a complaint was made against a serving priest in the diocese, Dr Walsh travelled in 2002 to the remote parish to address parishioners from the pulpit to tell them that their parish priest had been removed from priestly duties.

However, the diocesan spokesman said that on this occasion, Dr Walsh did not travel to the parish and instead the parishioners were informed by the Parish Leadership Team in the past number of days.

In the past the diocese has already paid out €500,000 to six victims of clerical sex abuse and Dr Walsh has said that if the need arises the diocese will sell off land to fund future payments to victims of sex abuse.

The 69-year old priest removed from priestly duties in 2002 by Dr Walsh is currently on bail awaiting his case to be heard next January.

The priest is facing multiple counts of alleged indecent assault against two males, dating back to the early 1980s when he was a member of a religious order in Co Waterford.

Dr Walsh was unavailable for comment yesterday as he is away from the diocese.