Bishop of Limerick apologises to man who was sexually abused by priest as a child

LIMERICK (IRELAND)
Limerick Leader

October 12, 2020

By David Hurley

The Bishop of Limerick has apologised to a man who was sexually abused by a priest who was working in the Diocese of Limerick at the time.

The priest, who can’t be named for legal reasons in order to protect the identity of the victim, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment this Monday following his conviction, by a jury, of nine charges of sexual assault and gross indecency.

The victim was aged 12 or 13 when the abuse first started more than 20 years ago – read court report here.

In a statement, issued following the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, Bishop Brendan Leahy said: “My thoughts first and foremost are with the victim in this case. I want to acknowledge the enormous pain that he has had to endure and, no doubt, the trial itself and all that led up to it deepened the hurt. It’s not just a huge trauma for him as he had to relive during this trial the dreadful experiences and the grave breach of trust inflicted, but I am also very conscious of the impact on his family. On behalf of the diocese of Limerick, I want to extend my deepest apologies to them for what they have all gone through but, of course, primarily to the man himself who has been abused, for whom no words of mine can repair the damage. I want to acknowledge also his courage in coming forward, which is something that is not easy to do.”

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