Abuse priest ‘had access to minors in 2000s’

A senior priest, who later admitted to abusing 100 children, was allowed unfettered access to minors for two years in the 2000s despite allegations against him.

The revelation emerged in the latest and last batch of reports published by the NBSCCCI (National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland) as part of its audit of child protection in dioceses and religious orders.

The NBSCCCI report noted that “the seniority of Fr A seemed to impede clear thinking by the congregational leadership” and, as a result, the allegations were not believed. Clear church guidelines on how to deal with sexual abuse allegations had been put in place in 1996.