A global police hunt for an Irish "celebrity" priest has been relaunched 11 years after he disappeared from the British parish in which he worked for 20years.
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Fr Christopher Clonan
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Fr Joseph Clonan (60), from Clonard, Co Meath, is wanted in connection with allegations made by eight men who claim they were sexually abused by him when young boys.
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, the Rev Vincent Nichols, made a public appeal for Fr Clonan to come forward after West Midlands Police reopened their investigation into claims the priest abused the boys from1972 onwards.
The Garda, Interpol, Australian and Philippine police have all been involved in attempts to trace Fr Clonan who worked as assistant parish priest in Coventry for 20 years before he left without notice in 1992.
Police believe the Meath-born priest, who was ordained in Britain, returned to Ireland before moving to Australia where he stayed with his family. It is understood he stayed at St John of Gods in south Dublin where he was treatedfor alcohol addiction before moving to Melbourne.
"I believe it is inconceivable that he has not been aware the police wanted to question him about serious allegations of sexual abuse against children. Yet he has not returned or made contact with us in any way," Acting Det InspKeith Clarke said.
Police prepared extradition papers for the return of Fr Clonan from Australia in 1993, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to proceed.In the same year, Fr Clonan went to the Philippine capital, Manila.
West Midlands police say they have information that Fr Clonan is again living in the Melbourne area of Australia with a member of his family. Officers want to trace him so he can be arrested and his extradition applied for.
The investigation was opened in 1992 after Mr Simon Grey alleged he had been sexually abused by Fr Clonan when he was an altar boy at Christ the King Church, Coundon, in Covernty. The other men - all in their thirties - cameforward after Mr Grey's claim became public following a court case ten yearslater.
The boys were aged between eight and 17 years at the time of the allegedabuse and were altar boys at Christ the King Church or visitors to theattached youth club.
Mr Grey won a landmark ruling in the British courts last year when theArchdiocese of Birmingham was instructed to pay him £35,000 sterling damagesin relation to his claims. Fr Clonan was named as the abuser in the case.
The decision - which found the Archdiocese culpable - opened the way for MrGrey to pursue a £1 million claim against the church. Legal expertsbelieve the ruling could open the floodgates for massive claims against theChurch in Britain.
A new police file was prepared following the court case and 19 specimen counts of sexual abuse have been drafted.
Fr Clonan worked as a builder in Ireland and Britain before entering the priesthood. When appointed assistant parish priest in Coundon, he used his construction skills to make improvements to Church and community buildings -acquiring the nickname "Father fix-it" and "the miracle worker".
He attracted an amount of celebrity and appeared in local press on a number of occasions. Coventry-based journalist Mr Steve Chilton has been following the case since 1992 and describes the priest as a "colourful character" whowas "immensely popular in his local parish".
"He was seen as an extrovert, larger-than-life character who drove around inan open-top car. He enjoyed a drink and a cigar and was an enthusiasticgolfer. He also had a robust turn of phrase more often associated withworkers on a building site," Mr Chilton told ireland.com.