Thursday, April 26, 2012

Further meeting to be held about gay porn display at primary school

A meeting between Catholic hierarchy and Co Tyrone parishioners about a gay porn controversy has had an "inconclusive" outcome, the Catholic Communications Office said.

The office also said there would be no further comment from the hierarchy about the circumstances surrounding the accidental display of male homosexual pornographic images during a power-point display at St Mary's Primary School in Pomeroy last month.

The parish priest, Fr Martin McVeigh, who is on voluntary "temporary" leave, has denied any knowledge of the images, which were contained on a memory stick he had been using as a display aide to a talk on Communion.

An audience of 26 parents, teachers and an eight-year-old boy were present when 16 separate images were displayed by the projector.

Subsequently, Fr McVeigh reported that his laptop had been stolen in a break-in at the parochial house on April 9, a week after the incident in the school. 

Parishioners sought and were granted a meeting with representatives of the Armagh Archdiocese, which took place on last Friday night.

The Catholic press office said the "outcome of the meeting was inconclusive" and that there would be a further meeting.

It said that Fr McVeigh, "at his own request, has asked for temporary leave and Cardinal Sean Brady, Archbishop of Armagh, had agreed to this request without prejudice to any of the parties involved".