The mother of one of the boys who was abused by Father Sean Fortune has said her husband attempted to bring the priest's activities to the attention of the church authorities on a number of occasions but failed.
The woman said yesterday her husband had tried to "have something done" about Father Fortune. He first raised the matter with the late Bishop Donal Herlihy in 1981 and subsequently with Dr Brendan Comiskey who arrived in the Diocese of Ferns in 1984.
Father Fortune, who was buried last Tuesday, committed suicide in New Ross, Co Wexford, last week. He had been facing charges of child abuse.
The woman's son met Father Fortune in 1977 at the age of 12 when he went to St Peter's College. The boy joined the Scout group in the college. The priest was in charge of this. He was abused one night when the priest brought him to his home in Poulfur in south Wexford where he was curate. Poulfur is in the curacy of Templetown in the village of Fethard-on-Sea.
"The most frightening and most galling part is that we could see that the emperor had no clothes, but the authorities insisted he was fully dressed," said his mother. "A lot of people in authority in the church were told, including Bishop Comiskey. My husband was fairly tenacious and kept on making complaints," she said.
The woman said she had always been a supporter of the Catholic Church. "I stood up for the church but at this stage I cannot fight for them any more. He [Fortune] is bringing the entire church into disrepute. Obviously I have been involved in this for a long time, but it is only in the last few days I realised the true extent of Fortune's sins, the evil he did and the disrepute he has brought the church into."
In the late 1980s the family was told by Dr Comiskey that he had sent Father Fortune for treatment in the UK. "But it was a big shock when he came back and was given another parish with access to young children."
In December 1986 a young Waterford man made a complaint to a priest about being abused by Father Fortune while on retreat in Poulfur.
Dr Comiskey travelled to Waterford and met him in the cathedral. The boy was accompanied by a friend who waited outside the room while the boy told the bishop of the abuse which had taken place when he was brought to Fethard-on-Sea as part of a group for a retreat given by the priest.
At that time Father Fortune set up a makeshift confessional in the house where the boys were staying. After hearing all their confessions he invited the young boy to serve Mass and to stay the night. During the night he buggered the boy. During the conversation with the bishop the boy said he was thinking of going to England and the bishop told him that that was probably the best thing to do. The boy was not subsequently contacted by the bishop.
This complaint was followed in 1988 by one from Mr Paul Molloy who lived in Fethard-On-Sea. and the father of another boy who had been sexually abused by the priest made a complaint in 1990.
The investigation into Father Fortune began in 1995 after a complaint was made by Mr Colm O'Gorman from Wexford.
Yesterday a man in Fethard-On-Sea who did not wish to be named said that when Father Fortune left the area in 1987 his replacement, Father Sean Devereux, was left to "pick up the pieces".
Father Devereux reported the abuse of Paul Molloy to Bishop Comiskey in 1988. Father Devereux appeared to do his best to find out what happened, said the man. "He told me at one stage that he was counselling six boys after Father Fortune. He was left in the parish only less than a year. I guess he was unearthing more than was considered wise."
The man said he was shocked and worried when Father Fortune returned from England, where he was apparently treated for paedophilia, and was given another Co Wexford parish.
"There was a primary school in the parish and then he was made chaplain to another school. I couldn't believe it. I spoke to a priest about it but he said that giving him two schools would keep him occupied and away from `other things' and that other priests were keeping an eye on him. I told him I thought it was nonsense."
Meanwhile, one of Father Fortune's victims who did not wish to be named said he took exception to aspects of the homily delivered by Dr Comiskey at Father Fortune's funeral. In an apparent reference to the victims Dr Comiskey said he recognised that because of the particular circumstances, "there may be a reluctance of some to avail of any offer of help from the church. Nevertheless, I once again offer the service of the diocese and my own services in whatever way we can".
The Co Wexford man, who was abused as a teenager, said he had never received "an offer of help of any kind from the bishop or the diocese".
However, he said, if the bishop was genuine in his offer what he would appreciate was "him speaking clearly and discussing fully everything he knows about the case. I want him to talk fully about the first time he or his predecessor received complaints about Father Fortune and his activities, particularly his sexual activities."