Church Probe Continues into Priest Accused of Assaulting Boy

By Gareth Davies
The Croydon Advertiser
October 30, 2013

http://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk/Church-probe-continues-priest-accused-assaulting/story-20008596-detail/story.html

Francis Moran's position at St Andrew's remains unclear

CATHOLIC church leaders have still to decide whether to allow a priest accused of sexually assaulting a teenage boy to return to work.

Francis Moran has been withdrawn from St Andrew’s Roman Catholic Church, in Brook Road, Thornton Heath, since being arrested last September.

He was questioned by police after a man in his 30s made allegations that he had been abused when he was in his early teens.

In July police told Canon Moran there was insufficient evidence to charge or caution him and so he would face no further action.

However, the Archdiocese of Southwark, for which Canon Moran was a safeguarding officer, said it would conduct its own investigation before deciding whether he should return to St Andrew’s.

That inquiry is still ongoing more than three months later.

A spokesman said: “Under the national procedures, issued by the Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Service, an investigation is undertaken by an independent person into any allegations, where no further action is to be taken by the police.

“This procedure has begun, and the diocese currently awaits its completion.”