UNITED KINGDOM
The Sentinel
COMMUNITY leaders and parishioners in Cheadle and Alton, where Bede Walsh served as parish priest were stunned by the verdicts.
Many members of his former congregations have continued to support and pray for him.
Alton parishioner Stella Heritage, of Castle Hill Road, said: “People are completely shocked and there are a lot of people who support him and do not believe what has come out at his trial. In my dealings with him as parish priest I could not fault him.”
Ray James, pictured right, who was mayor of Cheadle in 1996, said Walsh had won acclaim after organising discos in the town, which got bored youngsters off the streets.
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