Tyrone Priest John Gallagher "a Hero for Exposing Paedophile" in US

Belfast Telegraph
January 27, 2016

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/tyrone-priest-john-gallagher-a-hero-for-exposing-paedophile-in-us-34400023.html

The Catholic Whistleblowers Steering Committee said it was outraged after Fr John A Gallagher was effectively fired for reporting a colleague to police after he showed sickening child porn images to a boy aged 14.

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Father Jose Palimattom - who had been at the parish of the Holy Name of Jesus Christ Catholic Church in West Palm Beach for just four weeks - showed the teenager up to 40 images. Police believe he was grooming his victim.

Fr Gallagher, who is originally from Strabane, is living in a friend's home after the locks at his parochial house were changed and he was placed on medical leave by his bishop in the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida.

The 48-year-old claims he was told by a Church official to put Palimattom on a plane rather than co-operate with police.

Yesterday, the Catholic Whistleblowers - a network in the Church dedicated to supporting survivors of abuse and exposing cover-ups - said Fr Gallagher "has been treated shabbily".

"Instead of hailing Fr Gallagher as a hero for holding a fellow priest accountable for alleged sexual misdeeds against a minor child, the Diocese of Palm Beach in essence fired Fr Gallagher from his priestly ministry - all because he wasn't silent about alleged sexual abuse of minor children," the group said.

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It demanded that senior officials, including Pope Francis, intervene and that the Church apologise, adding: "It is outrageous that Fr Gallagher, who has been lauded by law enforcement officials for contacting them about alleged sexual abuse of a minor child by a priest, is not being treated as a hero by Catholic Church officials."