The reinstatement of Fr Tadhg Furlong and its manner at Cappawhite parish in Co Tipperary over the weekend has been welcomed by the Association of Catholic Priests.
Fr Furlong stood aside from ministry in May 2010 following an abuse complaint against him. It was not substantiated and he was reinstated last Saturday at a Mass he concelebrated with the Archbishop of Cashel Dr Dermot Clifford.
Welcoming Fr Furlong’s reinstatement, Fr Brendan Hoban of the priests’ association said it was happy to see that there was now a tendency to treat each case involving an accused priest on its own merits “as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach”. He was unhappy, however, that this still happened in some dioceses.
Emphasising that child protection was paramount, he pointed out that a simple allegation of abuse could have a “devastating” impact on a priest’s life and his family and friends. This was particularly the case where an accused priest was innocent. Many of the latter “never really recovered”, even when reinstated in ministry.
He said often, where priests were concerned, there was a public assumption of guilt once accused.
