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	Exclusive: Shamed Father Flash Barred from Lourdes Isabled Kids' Trust Vote to Stop Mac Neil Going on Trip By Janice Burns Glasgow Daily Record [Scotland] March 8, 2006 http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16786113%26method=full%26siteid=66633%26 headline=exclusive%2d%2dshamed%2dfather%2dflash%2dbarred%2dfrom%2dlourdes-name_page.html SEX-SHAME priest Father Flash has been banned from going to Lourdes on a pilgrimage with handicapped kids. Mums and organisers voted to exclude Roddy MacNeil from the Easter trip after he was exposed as a "sexual predator". Meanwhile, the kinky cleric is still battling to save his career and has made claims he is flying to Rome next week for crunch talks with Vatican lawyers. MacNeil was forced to leave his parish of Our Lady of the Sea on the Hebridean island of Barra in December. He was suspended from the priesthood after getting his first cousin, Hilda Robertson, pregnant and having a string of affairs with women. For years, MacNeil, 46, has travelled to Lourdes, serving as chaplain for the Handicapped Children's Pilgrimage Trust . Despite being banned from carrying out any of his priestly duties, MacNeil still expected to be invited along on the trip with 200 disabled kids and their parents next month. He was said to be "hurt and upset" when local organisers in Glasgow told him he wasn't welcome. A church insider said: "The trust are a very well-respected organisation and they do not want to be associated with Roddy, MacNeil. "They decided it would be totally inappropriate for him to go this year. "For the past few years, Roddy has accompanied parents, volunteers and around 200 disabled children as their chaplain. "A vote was taken and the majority of committee members wanted him booted out. "Only one woman, who is a close friend, saw nothing wrong with what Roddy had done and couldn't understand why he should be banned. "When they called him up to break the news, he was livid." Last night, the trust refused to comment on their decision. But their verdict will come as a fresh blow to MacNeil. In January, the Record broke the story of how Father Flash was suspended from the priesthood after claims of an "inappropriate relationship" with a woman. His flock was told that he had "taken time out to reflect on the future of his priestly vocation". But the real reason for his suspension was that he was having an affair. The mother of his girlfriend, Jennifer Gilbert, had reported the priest to his bishop after finding out about their secret relationship - in which they swapped wedding bands while MacNeil had vowed to quit the priesthood for her. The Record has since revealed that he had also got his first cousin Hilda Robertson pregnant in September last year while carrying on his affair with Jennifer. Earlier this week Jennifer broke her silence to reveal how the six-times-a-night sex maniac had groomed her since she was a teenager. And yesterday, we exposed MacNeil's love-nest where he staged kinky romps with a string of willing women. MacNeil had a meeting last month with Argyll and the Isles Bishop Ian Murray -where he refused to resign and vowed to fight to save his priesthood. The bishop urged him to either resign or put his case forward for an internal hearing. He is still waiting for a response from MacNeil. The Catholic Church is also probing the island parish's finances. MacNeil told Jennifer before the stories appeared that he was flying to Rome next week to hire top Vatican lawyers to fight his corner. But last night, a church source said the claims were nothing but "complete bravado". The insider said: "Roddy has no reason to go to Rome. No one there would deal with it or listen to him. "If he continues to refuse to resign then his case will be dealt with through an internal court in Glasgow. "What Roddy has done is not illegal but completely immoral and he has broken many laws of the church. He has broken his vow of celibacy and has scandalised the church. "The biggest problem is that Roddy is hiding his head in the sand and is refusing to do anything. The church has no powers to force him into the process." Yesterday, Jennifer, 22, of Rouken Glen, Glasgow, and her mother Evelyn, 54, asked lawyers to get a legal order banning MacNeil from contacting them. Jennifer said last night: "I told him to stay away from me but he is not taking no for an answer. "In the first instance, the lawyer is sending a letter to Roddy to tell him that if he contacts us again he will face court action." 'What he has done is not illegal but totally immoral'
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