Priest nearly 'died of fright' when told of assault claims

Wed, May 23, 2007

A jury has heard a priest recount that he nearly "died of fright" when then Archbishop of Dublin Cardinal Desmond Connell told him allegations of child sexual abuse had been made against him.

He said he found the allegations "repulsive" and the whole situation "very difficult" and that it took several days for the news to sink in. He had to withdraw immediately from parish duties.

The case involves a man (33), who cannot be named for legal reasons, who has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to making a false statement in June 2003, that he had been indecently assaulted by the priest from February to May 1981.

The priest told Dominic McGinn, prosecuting, on the seventh day of the trial, that he initially thought he was called to the cardinal's office on parish business but found him "very grave". When the allegations were read out to him he "felt faint". It was several months before he was told by garda? they would not be pursuing a case.

He was adamant he had never given the accused man private tuition to learn prayers for his first Holy Communion and said he found it extraordinary that any teacher would take such action.

He told Mr McGinn he had never received the accused or either of his parents at his house and could not understand why it was claimed that the mother remembered him as a "nice priest" and had also allegedly threatened to leave the Catholic Church during a row with him.

He could not tell Damian Colgan, defending , in cross-examination, how the accused had known the colour of the living room carpet but said that the carpet would have remained after he left the parish. He said the allegations were "appalling". He did not know the accused but remembered him vaguely from community work they had both been involved in during the 1990s.

Earlier, several lay witnesses said they had never seen any problems between the priest and the accused.

? 2007 The Irish Times