DUBLIN (IRELAND)
Irish Times
March 1, 2018
By Patsy McGarry
[Note from BishopAccountability.org: See also the McAreavey statement quoted in this article.]
People in Dromore diocese concerned that cleric said funeral Mass for alleged abuser
John McAreavey has resigned as Catholic Bishop of Dromore with immediate effect following controversy over his decision to officiate more than 15 years ago at the funeral Mass of a priest known to the diocese as a child abuser.
Dromore diocese includes parishes in counties Antrim, Armagh and Down.
Fr Malachy Finnegan served at St Colman’s College in Newry from 1967 to 1971 and was a teacher there from 1973 to 1976. He was president of the college from 1976 to 1987. Between 1994 and 2016, 12 allegations of abuse were made against him.
A BBC Spotlight programme on Finnegan was broadcast last month and included interviews with three of his alleged victims. It had been investigating allegations against the priest over recent months and how these had been handled by Catholic authorities.
Prior to the broadcast, Dr McAreavey issued a statement saying the first allegation against Finnegan came to light in 1994, some seven years after he left St Colman’s College.
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