The leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales is being called as a witness in a libel trial involving allegations of “sex, morals and high church politics”, the High Court heard yesterday. Dr Austen Ivereigh, the former aide to Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, is suing over an article in the Daily Mail based on allegations by two women about their relationships with him, including a claim that one of them had had an abortion.
Mark Warby, QC, for Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, said that both the newspaper and Dr Ivereigh had issued a witness summons on the Cardinal and the former had served it.
The Cardinal’s evidence would be “neutral”, he added.
Yesterday lawyers for the Daily Mail won an order before next week’s trial to protect the identity of one of the women because of the potential impact it could have on her children.
Andrew Caldecott, QC, for the woman who is known as X, said that the trial involved the highest levels of the Roman Catholic Church. Dr Ivereigh had been the Cardinal’s press secretary and public affairs director.
He told Mr Justice Eady: “It also involves sex and morals, which inevitably is a brew that attracts press interest.” Coverage of the trial would be “quite sensational”, he added.
Dr Ivereigh contests the claims strongly. Lawyers have said that yesterday’s application for anonymity was highly unusual.
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