A PRIEST named in the Seanad as a suspected child abuser has broken his silence to protest his innocence.
Fr Donncha Mac Carthaigh also hit out at Senator Mark Daly,
who last week used parliamentary privilege to publicly name the
member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart order.
Mr Daly alleged
the order failed to fulfil child-safety guidelines to keep priests
suspected of child abuse away from young people.
In his first
public statement, Fr Mac Carthaigh last night said he had never been
convicted of an offence in the courts.
He claimed Mr Daly abused
parliamentary privilege -- which protects members from any legal
repercussions -- to name an "innocent person".
Fr Mac Carthaigh
also strenuously denied his sibling had been involved in investigating
an allegation of sexual abuse lodged against him.
In a speech to
the Seanad, Mr Daly stated an initial inquiry into a complaint of sexual
abuse from the 1980s against Fr Donncha Mac Carthaigh had been
investigated by his brother, Fr Ciaran Mac Carthaigh, who had been head
of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Order in Ireland.
No suggestion of any impropriety or wrongdoing had been made in relation to Fr Ciaran Mac Carthaigh.
Fr Donncha Mac Carthaigh said he strenuously "denies the false allegations".
A
solicitor on behalf of the priest stated all allegations made against
Fr Mac Carthaigh at Colaiste an Chroi Naofa boarding school in Carraig
na bhFear, Co Cork, where he had taught, were taken seriously by the
order and reported by its delegate to gardai.
Fr Mac Carthaigh
said he had "fully co-operated" with investigations.
The solicitor
stated the DPP decided in each case there was "no case for prosecution".
"Fr
Mac Carthaigh is an innocent person. Senator Daly by his abuse of
parliamentary privilege has seriously damaged his reputation and good
name and has endeavoured to destroy his innocence in law," his solicitor
stated.
Monitor
Mr Daly said
his "one concern is child safety".
Addressing the Seanad, Mr Daly said
the Sacred Heart Missionaries did not properly monitor Fr Mac
Carthaigh's movements.
The senator claimed this was despite the priest
facing seven sex-abuse allegations, including one allegedly settled out
of court.
The priest was placed under a restricted ministry order
in 1996, which was intended to limit his travel, work and access to
children.
However, he went to Fatima and Rome.
The Sacred Heart
Missionaries order said it had met with Mr Daly and passed on details of
his concerns to gardai and sought guidance from the National Office for
Safeguarding Children.
Fr Mac Carthaigh was not a priest in the Diocese of Cloyne and the allegations do not relate to Cloyne.