Clerical sex abuse actions halted

Three actions for damages brought here against a Catholic Bishop in a representative capacity over the Church’s alleged failure to act to prevent paedophile priest Fr Brendan Smyth sexually abusing children have been halted by the Court of Appeal.

The three-judge court yesterday upheld a High Court decision stopping separate actions by a man, his sister, and a cousin against the Bishop of Kilmore, Dr Leo O’Reilly, as representative of the Kilmore diocese.

The three had also sued Cardinal Sean Brady in his personal capacity arising from his role as part-time secretary to former Bishop of Kilmore, Francis McKiernan, during a Church investigation in 1975 into complaints about Smyth.