BELFAST (IRELAND)
Belfast Telegraph
February 8, 2018
By Allan Preston
The Catholic Church has settled sexual abuse claims with victims of a priest who taught in a Newry school.
A total of 12 allegations were made against the late Fr Malachy Finnegan, who worked at St Colman’s College from 1967 to 1987.
The Diocese of Dromore reached the settlement with victims in October 2017, although details have only just emerged.
A joint statement from the St Colman’s board of governors yesterday condemned the abuse inflicted on pupils by Finnegan.
The school has since ordered all images of Finnegan to be removed.
Bishop of Dromore Dr John McAreavey said Finnegan’s actions were “abhorrent, inexcusable and indefensible”.
The disgraced cleric was college president at St Colman’s for 11 years before being transferred to Clonduff as parish priest in January 1988.
Bishop McAreavey said the first allegations against him came in 1994, a year before his retirement.
A second allegation emerged in 1998, but was not related to his time in St Colman’s. All other complaints emerged after his death in January 2002.
“The abuse of any child by a priest is a violation of that child and betrayal of trust,” said Bishop McAreavey.
“The history of the Catholic Church in Ireland in dealing with allegations of sexual abuse has been a tragic one of failure and letdown.”
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