SCOTLAND
The Observer
Catherine Deveney
The Observer, Saturday 14 December 2013
A Scottish priest who says that his vocation was “destroyed” after he spoke out against sexual abuse is to claim unfair dismissal against the Catholic church at an employment tribunal.
Father Patrick Lawson, who was removed from St Sophia’s parish church, in Galston, Ayrshire, in September by the Bishop of Galloway, John Cunningham, has been granted legal aid to pursue the case that could establish employment rights for priests across Britain.
“An application has been lodged on Patrick’s behalf with the tribunal,” said his solicitor, Cameron Fyfe. “He is breaking new ground as there has never been a decision by a UK court on this. If he is successful, it would open the door to other priests in a similar position.”
The Catholic church’s director of communications, Peter Kearney, says the application is inappropriate: “For such a claim to be made, there would need to be an employer/employee relationship. Since the relationship between a priest and his diocese is not one of employment, reference to an employment tribunal would not be possible.”
The application is the latest move in a long-running dispute. In July, Lawson revealed to the Observer that he had been fighting for 17 years for appropriate action to be taken against a fellow priest who he claims sexually assaulted him and abused altar boys. He was issued with a disciplinary warning for giving the interview.
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