FLORIDA
Derry Journal (Northern Ireland)
Erin Hutcheon
erin.hutcheon@derryjournal.com
A Derry priest who has been frozen out of his priestly duties in the USA after refusing to cover up sex crimes by another priest, says he has no regrets about what he did.
Father John Gallagher who now lives in Palm Beach but previously ministered in the Long Tower parish told the Journal how the locks were changed on his parochial house after he refused to put a paedophile priest on a plane rather than co-operate with police.
This week the Strabane born priest broke his silence after almost a year and he says he has concerns that the priest at the centre of the sex crimes could still be working as a priest, and be a danger to children.
This week Father’s Gallagher’s story made headline news across the world. Indeed one of this friends remarked: “There are only two people in the U.S. news today – Donald Trump and Father John Gallagher.”
The Irish priest’s facebook page has been flooded with messages of support and he says he has received letters and cards from people all over the world, many from his former parishioners in Derry,
Father Gallagher interviewed the priest Fr Jose Palimattom in January 2015 along with a retired police officer when he was made aware that he had shown indecent images to a young teenager.
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