Priest considers action over bishop’s remarks

THE priest at the centre of a dispute between the Vatican and the diocese of Cork and Ross is reportedly considering legal action against the Bishop John Buckley over comments he made about him, particularly about a firearm conviction he received.

Father James Davern, the former curate at Glenville/Watergrasshill parish removed from ministry in 2003 by Bishop John Buckley, was reported on RTÉ yesterday to have revealed he was taking action over comments made by the Bishop on Wednesday.

In particular, Father Davern is unhappy that the bishop said: “A long list of highly publicised incidents of conflict between Fr Davern and parishioners arose in successive parishes. These included a court conviction in 1999 for threatening use of a fire-arm against a member of the faithful.”