The One in Four organisation has said it is delighted that Fr Kevin Reynolds has had his good name restored in his libel action against RTÉ.
The advocacy group for abuse victims criticised the broadcaster for damaging many genuine victims of sexual crimes by screening false allegations against him.
Meanwhile, the Association of Catholic Priests has said church authorities should have waited for the results of a paternity test before standing Fr Reynolds aside from public ministry and making him leave his home.
One in Four was commenting on yesterday's award of undisclosed damages by the High Court to Fr Reynolds in his libel action against RTÉ in relation to allegations it broadcast that he had raped a teenage girl and fathered a child with her while ministering in Kenya.
Its executive director Maeve Lewis said a false allegation was a terrible thing that caused untold distress and anxiety to the falsely accused person.
She criticised RTÉ for failing to ensure that the allegations against Fr Reynolds was properly verified before the Prime Time Investigates programme was broadcast last May.
And she said a false allegation was also very damaging to the many genuine victims of sexual crimes, as it may increase the scepticism and disbelief of both the civil authorities and the general public towards those making truthful complaints.
She noted that false allegations are rare, but that the harm that they cause is enormous.
Meanwhile, the Association of Catholic Priests has said church authorities transgressed Fr Reynolds' human rights after the broadcast by standing him aside from public ministry and making him leave his home.
Its spokesman, Fr Sean McDonagh, said it had written to the hierarchy seeking a meeting on the case which, he said, was very unusual because the local bishop, Dr Christopher Jones, could have waited two weeks for a paternity test to be completed to establish whether the allegations were true.
He said no-one would have been in danger of being abused during that fortnight.
He said that if a solicitor had not offered his services free to Fr Reynolds, he would have got nowhere in his efforts to clear his name.