A documentary film featuring Dr Micheal Ledwith, former president at St Patrick's Seminary, Maynooth, is to go on release in Britain and Ireland next Friday.
In June 1994 Dr Ledwith left Maynooth prematurely, having paid money to and concluded a confidential agreement with a seminarian who claimed he had been sexually abused by him as a minor.
According to Catholic Church sources, Dr Ledwith is no longer a priest.
What the Bleep Do We Know!?, also known as What the #$*! Do We Know!?, is a 109-minute film about quantum physics featuring 14 scientists and spiritual teachers.
In publicity for the film, under the heading "Spiritual Teachers, Mystics and Scholars," Dr Ledwith is listed alongside Ramtha, a 35,000-year-old warrior who allegedly speaks through American woman JZ Knight. She and Dr Ledwith teach at the Ramtha School of Enlightenment at Yelm in Washington State in the US.
Made for $5 million, What the Bleep Do We Know!? has taken in $10.7 million in the US to date, where it rivals Supersize Me as one of the highest grossing documentaries of recent times.
Released in February it has become a US word-of-mouth phenomenon.
Dr Ledwith is described in the publicity as "Professor of Systematic Theology for 16 years at Maynooth College in Ireland and subsequently served for 10 years as president of the university.
"He was a member of the International Theological Commission, a small group of theologians of international standing, charged with advising the Holy See on theological matters.
"He also served as chairman of the Committee of Heads of the Irish Universities and as a member of the governing bureau of the Conference of European University Presidents (CRE).
"He has lectured extensively throughout Europe, South Africa, Japan, Australia, Mexico, and North America. His forthcoming books are entitled The Message Whose Time Has Come Again and The Ascent to God: The Soul's Journey Within."
The film has inspired its own merchandise, including a What the Bleep Do We Know!? poster and The Little Book of Bleeps. In Ireland, the film will be shown at the Irish Film Institute in Dublin and the Ster Century complex in the Liffey Valley Centre.
