Saturday, November 26, 2011

Reynolds says RTÉ chiefs must face 'consequences'

The priest at the centre of the RTÉ libel case, Fr Kevin Reynolds, has said those at the heart of decision-making at the national broadcaster have to face the consequences of their actions.

Asked on Shannonside Radio whether he would like to see disciplinary action in RTÉ over the libel case, Fr Reynolds said he was not out for anybody's blood or looking for people to be sacked.

The priest, who is based in Ahascragh, Co Galway, said he would leave the issue in the hands of his solicitor.

He said people in authority who have been appointed to State institutions and people at the heart of decision making in RTÉ have to face the consequences of what happened and they are doing that now.

Fr Reynolds said he was grateful to neighbours and friends for their support during his ordeal.

When he was asked to stand down from his ministry, Fr Reynolds said it was as if everything he believed in and had achieved had gone down the swanee. "It was all over. I was destroyed."

He said that what upset him terribly and was very sad was that such distress was inflicted on his family and his parishioners.

Asked about whether priests are currently getting a tough time in the media, he said it was a hard life and he was living in a different Ireland now than the one in which he had been ordained.

"We are living in a secular society in which priests have been pushed to the sidelines."

However, Fr Reynolds said a lot of priests had telephoned him over the weekend to say they felt that they had been given a boost of confidence and he added nothing could compare to what the Catholic Church has to offer.

Call for public inquiry

A Fine Gael Senator has called for a public inquiry into how RTÉ conducted and made the programme 'A Mission to Prey'.

Michael Mullins said large amounts of taxpayers' money had to be spent in order to repair the damage done as a result of the programme and he said the minister should cut funding to RTÉ appropriately.

Senator Mullins said irreparable damage had been done to Fr Reynold's reputation and he said there were other allegations of defamation in the programme against a person who is now deceased.
He said he had been provided with information that calls into question the basis on which the programme was made.