Nine claim abuse but no prosecutions follow

A TEENAGE girl who alleges that she was abused by Fr Ronat said he claimed the Holy Spirit was descending upon her as he touched her body.

The complainant, given the pseudonym Caelan, made a complaint in 1997, saying she was abused by Fr Ronat between 1979 and 1981 at a residential retreat.

She said the priest conducted confessions in a bedroom and that she was instructed to lie on the bed. He then touched her and made reference to “the heat of the Holy Spirit” descending upon her.