A parish secretary whom a psychiatrist claimed was infatuated with her priest and suffered from a condition called erotomania has been awarded €1,560 by an Employment Appeals Tribunal.
The tribunal found that Margaret O'Hehir, of Wolfe Tone Square West, Bray, Co Wicklow acted in a manner that justified her dismissal by Fr Larry White PP, Our Lady Queen Of Peace Parish, Putland Road, Bray, but said that the dismissal was procedurally unfair.
The tribunal heard evidence that Ms O'Hehir told the priest she loved him and sent him gifts, notes and cards, including Valentine cards, that "amazed", "shocked" and "alarmed" him.
Ms O'Hehir said she did not have "a romantic agenda" and insisted a comment "I love you" on a card to Fr White was not "meant in a sexual way". Her relationship with him was "strictly professional". She was "totally gutted and in shock" when he accepted a resignation letter in September 2005 that she had submitted four months earlier.
The tribunal said a person in Fr White's position must be allowed to fulfil his duties within the parameters of the office that he holds. Ms O'Hehir "must have known of these parameters, which are essential for a clergyman". It said the priest had to be above reproach and must be seen to be above reproach.
If the members of his church were aware of her actions and he had made no protest and condoned them, "this may have led to a scandal".
It said it was impossible to decide the case without taking into account the ethos of Fr White's religion and the guidelines for clergymen in that religion. It said that as a Catholic, Ms O'Hehir knew of this ethos.
She "totally disregarded this ethos in her actions". Her position as parish secretary was tenable only if she exercised sound judgment in these matters.
"This she failed to do," the tribunal said in its determination.
Ms O'Hehir had been parish secretary since August 2001. She worked with Fr White since 2002 when he took over as parish priest after his predecessor retired.
The award of €1,560 to Ms O'Hehir, the equivalent of four weeks' pay, is the minimum allowed under the Unfair Dismissal Acts.
A forensic psychiatrist who evaluated Ms O'Hehir with her agreement following a request from Fr White and his representatives said that in his opinion her "clinical presentation is consistent with a diagnosis of morbid infatuation, which is a variant of erotomania".
He believed she lacked the capacity to distance herself from her preoccupation.
Fr White had told him Ms O'Hehir's "underlying tone had changed from friendly to covertly threatening".
The psychiatrist told the tribunal Ms O'Hehir "demonstrated a persistent pursuit of the object of her attention [ Fr White] with gradually escalating intrusiveness".
The tribunal said that the psychiatrist's view was that Ms O'Hehir's condition would prevent her from carrying out her occupation on either a full-time or part-time basis until she had appropriate therapy.
"His view of the claimant's incapacity to work for the respondent remains unchanged to date and he believes that without treatment the claimant's illness will continue to escalate," the determination says.
In his report the psychiatrist noted Ms O'Hehir was appalled when he suggested therapeutic options to her.
"She expressed disbelief to the psychiatrist when the possibility of medication or treatment was suggested to her," according to the determination.
When she received a copy of the psychiatrist's report, Ms O'Hehir attended another psychiatrist and a senior psychologist with the Health Service Executive. She said that neither found she suffered with erotomania.
A senior clinical psychologist with the HSE described her relationship with the priest as "warm and jovial".
The psychologist said that from her contact with Ms O'Hehir, "there was no concrete or defining evidence" of her having erotomania, which she described as a rare condition that is difficult to diagnose.
Ms O'Hehir told the tribunal she bought gifts for Fr White in the same way as had been her habit with the previous PP.
The items were often free gifts from a stationery company. She did not have a romantic agenda - "it was a strictly professional relationship".
She appreciated in a pastoral way the support and kindness Fr White had given her during an emotional time.