Dismissed priest says clerics are now ‘guilty until proven innocent’

IRELAND
Irish Independent

Ralph Riegel
March 6 2017

An elderly priest dismissed by his diocese over abuse allegations claimed that clerics are now “guilty until proven innocent”.

Fr Dan Duane, who served as a priest for 42 years in Cork, said he now faced losing his Church-provided home and had also had his retirement income slashed.

But he has vowed to defend his good name and is hoping a last-ditch appeal to Pope Francis can halt his dismissal as a priest in the Diocese of Cloyne.

“The lies against me are now threatening to destroy my life,” he said.

“I am an innocent man and yet I face penury and homelessness.

“There has also been a campaign of vilification waged against me in the media despite the fact I have consistently protested my innocence of these appalling allegations.”

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