NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph
23 JUNE 2015
Self confessed paedophile priest Fr Brendan Smyth found peace with God, an inquiry has been told.
In a letter written in 1995 after his conviction for sexually assaulting more than 40 children in Northern Ireland, the west Belfast-born priest said he hoped his victims could also find solace and lashed out at the media for adding to their distress.
Smyth, who died in jail in 1997, wrote: “I have welcomed the prison sentences imposed by the courts as a fitting means of paying my debt to society.
“I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep sorrow to anyone who has in any way suffered as a result of my actions and also to those relatives, friends and members of my religious community who suffered because of the media treatment of these matters for a long time now.
“I have been at peace with my God and I trust they too will find a similar peace.”
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