Priests fast to atone for pain of abuse

PARISH priests in a Midlands town are this morning halfway through a 24-hour fast and penance held to acknowledge the pain caused by decades of Irish clerical child abuse their own colleagues caused.

The priests, who are based in Tullamore, Co Offaly, said that they are appalled at the sheer scale of the still-unfolding scandal and are taking part in the fast as a show of support to those who were victimised through clerical abuse over decades.

Writing on TheJournal.ie, Fr Shane Crombie — one of the organisers of the fast, which began last night — said the damage caused by the nationwide scandal should horrify any right-minded person, regardless of whether they are connected to the Church, which repeatedly covered up the abuse.