An 82-year-old Catholic priest living in South Bend, Ind., has been extradited to Ireland to face allegations that he molested a teenage boy, once shortly after the boy's father's funeral in 1968. Federal officials confirmed Tuesday that the Rev. Francis Markey was taken from St. Joseph County Jail in South Bend over the weekend and sent back to Ireland.
The Irish charges against Markey allege he raped a 15-year-old boy during a religious pilgrimage in County Donegal and again after his father's funeral in County Galway.
In the first incident, Markey allegedly followed the boy into a public bathroom at the pilgrimage site.
Moments before the alleged assault, Markey said, "You are a lovely wee fellow," according to an arrest warrant filed in U.S. District Court in South Bend in November 2009.
In the second incident, Markey took the boy for a drive after his father's funeral. Markey told the boy's mother he wanted to help the teen take his mind off his father's death.
Markey stopped the car near a stable and allegedly assaulted the boy.
The victim told his wife and then a counselor about the assaults in 2005 and then went to police.
In February, a U.S. District Court magistrate in South Bend threw out Markey's appeal to avoid extradition.
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