Civil legal action by a number of the sex-abuse victims of Father Sean Fortune threatens to expose the Catholic Church to a detailed examination of its handling of complaints - an examination that may embarrass leading figures in the church, including the Bishop of Ferns, Dr Brendan Comiskey.
Father Fortune, who faced 29 charges of sex abuse against young boys, and who was also accused by former parishioners in Co Wexford of fraud, was found dead on Saturday morning.
The Irish Times has learned the priest was found by a friend sitting upright in bed in his home in New Ross, Co Wexford. Beside him were his rosary beads and a prayer book. He left a suicide note. In it he apologised to his family and blamed the media for his misfortune. An envelope contained his will. A bottle of whiskey and pills were in the room.
According to Garda sources he had been dead from "some time on Friday". The Garda is in the process of tracing telephone calls he may have made before taking his own life. A post-mortem carried out on Saturday afternoon confirmed he had committed suicide, and death was due to alcohol and blood-poisoning, Garda sources said last night.
Yesterday afternoon The Irish Times faxed a list of questions concerning Father Fortune to Dr Comiskey. They concerned letters and representations made to him over a number of years from people in two parishes concerning Father Fortune's activities, including a complaint of sexual abuse by Mr Paul Molloy from Fethard-on-Sea in Co Wexford.
Responding last night a spokeswoman for the bishop said: "He has absolutely nothing to say about any of the matters put to him at this time." The bishop, she said, felt it would be "very insensitive" of him to "go into any details of the man when he is not buried and his family is grieving". He expressed sympathy to Father Fortune's family and asked people to remember them in their prayers.
It is believed Dr Comiskey is in the United States but is due home today. The spokeswoman said she expected Bishop Comiskey to attend the funeral.
Two weeks ago Father Fortune was remanded by Wexford Circuit Criminal Court to the Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, Dublin. However, because of a strike there he was sent to Mountjoy prison. Last Monday he was granted bail in the High Court.
Mr Paul Molloy (28), who is taking a civil action against Father Fortune, which also names Dr Comiskey, and the papal nuncio, told The Irish Times he was shocked to hear of the suicide. He was distressed the case would never now be heard in court.
He said: "I was upset at the thought that my story would never be told and he would never be formally found guilty. I wanted him to show remorse, to look down in the court room as I told my story. That won't happen now."
He said that he wanted an explanation from Dr Comiskey why no apparent action was taken against Father Fortune following his complaint of sexual abuse in 1988. He also questioned why the bishop had not made a statement to the Garda concerning the case, despite a request to do so.
A civil case is also being taken by Mr Colm O'Gorman (32), from Wexford, as well as at least two further cases by other victims.
Dr Comiskey, in an interview given to South East Radio in March 1995, after the investigation into Father Fortune began, said it was wrong to comment until the law had run its course. He spoke of "exhaustive procedures and assessments over a two-year period" in relation to the allegations in the 1980s.
The procedures, he said, were "quite exhaustive, quite responsible, involving highly professional people on this side of the Irish Sea, as well as the other side". After the law had run its course fair-minded people would think the church had done what it could. If he was handling it today it would have been quite different.