STOCKTON (CA)
Irish Central
[Read the story here]
Patrick Roberts
The case of Father Michael Kelly who fled to Ireland from California this week after a civil suit against him for molesting a child was successful is more complicated than it may seem.
Kelly passed two lie detector tests, and the diocese of Stockton in California believed him not guilty after an intensive inquiry.
Hundreds of his parishioners still stand with him and he was clearly a very popular priest. The pages of local newspapers are filled with testimonials to his work by former parishioners.
Even after the verdict and before he fled to Ireland hundreds of parishioners showed up in the parish hall to support him.
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