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	Abuse Case Priest Living in Strabane Derry Journal March 23, 2010 http://www.derryjournal.com/journal/Abuse-case-priest-living-in.6173225.jp The priest at the centre of a child sex abuse controversy in the Derry diocese is living in Strabane Parochial House, the 'Journal' can confirm. Derry's dioscesan hierarchy was alerted to serious allegations against Fr John J McCullagh in 1994 and a settlement of ?12,000 was paid to the alleged victim by the disgraced priest, who denied the allegations. Diocesan spokesman Fr Michael Canny, said that Fr McCullagh was subject to strict rules imposed by the Catholic Church. "He has had no parish duties whatsoever since the 1990s - he has not celebrated any public Masses, had no contact with any schools and is prohibited from wearing clerical dress. He has not been defrocked and is still, technically speaking, a priest but all pastoral responsibility has been removed." However, Fr Canny confirmed that he was "reliably informed" that the priest had broken the rules by appearing in public in clerical dress. Fr Canny said that the diocese took action against the priest because his settlement had given "credence" to the serious accusations made by woman. She claimed she was subject to touching, kissing and fondling since the age of eight and over a period of ten years. Fr McCullagh was born in 1935 and was ordained in 1961. He served in several parishes in the Derry diocese including St Patrick's Church, Pennyburn, and St Eugene's Cathedral.
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