IRELAND
Irish Times
Patsy McGarry
Mon, Mar 10, 2014
Fr Tony Flannery, the founder member of the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) who has been facing criticism over a call to allow priests re-enter ministry after offending, has disclosed he “experienced sexual abuse as a young boy over a period of time”.
His abuser was “long dead. I hope he is at peace” but it was why “I believe that maybe I have some right to have my say on the topic”.
Writing on his www.tonyflannery.com website, he was responding to those who criticised his report on a meeting he and Fr Seán McDonagh, both representing the ACP, had with the National Board for Safeguarding Children (NBSC) in Maynooth last Wednesday.
In it, he said they “raised the difficulties around historical allegations, and the fact that many older priests are excluded from ministry because of a mistake or mistakes they made in their earlier life, and where there was no pattern of re-offending”.
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