The “ill-advised” remarks made by a priest towards the conclusion of an Easter Vigil Mass in the Derry Diocese have caused “considerable anger and concern”.
The Derry News has been contacted by a reader who said he was “extremely upset” at the language used by Fr Paddy Baker, CC, Fahan Parish, regarding Fr Eddie Gallagher.
Fr Gallagher, who is charged with attempted sexual communication with a child, has been suspended from ministry by the Bishop of Derry, Most Rev Dr Dónal McKeown.
His arrest and charge followed an incident involving self-styled ‘paedophile hunters’ outside a Derry Hotel on Thursday, April 17.
Since his arrest, Fr Gallagher has remained in custody; he is due to appear before the court again on Friday, May 9.
At the Easter Vigil Mass in St Mura’s Parish Church, Fahan, in Inishowen, on Saturday, April 19, Fr Baker referred to Fr Gallagher’s arrest by the PSNI “after Mass in the Cathedral [St Eugene’s] - a day when we celebrate the gift of priesthood”.
“I thought it was so ironic that he was arrested on that day. So he has been suspended from duty and awaiting a court decision,” said Fr Baker.
“We pray for him. He needs a lot of prayer. We pray for his sorrowful mother who had to witness that awful attack at a hotel in Derry,” added Fr Baker.
“We pray for his victims. We pray for his family and we pray that God will heal his soul and be with him at this time of need.
“It is a very distressful [distressing] time for the Bishop and all our priests. Whenever one of our priests is attacked like this, it just carries a serious wound in all our hearts and you know, we are all so vulnerable.
“So, we pray for Eddie that God will help him in his time of need and all his victims, may God bless them and help them too at this time of need,” said Fr Baker.
“Listening to Fr Baker’s words after Communion, I felt considerable anger and concern,” said the reader.
“Fr Baker twice described what happened to Fr Gallagher as an ‘attack’ which immediately, rightly or wrongly, I thought implied he believed Fr Gallagher was innocent.
“The way he referred to Fr Gallagher in familiar terms, by his first name, seemed to be an attempt to persuade us he had been charged with nothing more than a minor misdemeanor and there but for the grace of God go we all.
“In my eyes, Fr Baker seemed disproportionately sympathetic to Fr Gallagher; his alleged victims appeared almost to be an afterthought.
“I think Fr Baker’s remarks were extremely ill-advised. I can only imagine such language would prevent anyone in the Diocese contemplating making a disclosure about sexual or any other type of abuse, from doing so. I think they might fear they would not be believed,” he said.
He added: “I was extremely upset by the whole episode, so much so that I rewatched the recording of the Mass, which remains online, to see if I had heard everything correctly.
“Sadly, I had and I stand by my original thoughts. Fr Baker’s remarks were completely inappropriate. He was partial and this calls into question the attitude to safeguarding in the Diocese.”
When contacted by The Derry News, Fr Michael Canny, Derry diocesan communications officer said: “The diocese is aware of Fr Baker’s comments.
“As charges are now before the court, it would not be appropriate for the diocese to comment until the completion of criminal proceedings.”