IRELAND
Irish Times
Eoghan MacConnell
Wed, Nov 25, 2015
Concern at the treatment of priests who find themselves the subject of allegations of sex abuse has been expressed by members of the Association of Catholic Priests
Issues such as presumption of innocence, support for priests facing allegations and the time it takes for allegations to be dealt with were all of concern to the clergy, canon lawyer Helen Costigane who lectures in Heythrop College, London, told the association’s annual conference.
When priests face allegations of sexual abuse they are “put in a limbo situation and the bishops are almost hoping they will move on or die,” one priest said.
Ms Costigane was highly critical of “the idea that priests who are accused are cut adrift and left to fend for themselves”.
She cited cases where priests have had to fund their own legal representation or were forced to rely on the charity of friends.
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