A parish priest once propelled into the spotlight after inadvertently showing gay pornographic images to parents in Co Tyrone has stepped aside from his duties in Co Louth.
Fr Martin McVeigh, who insisted he had no knowledge of the images but left Pomeroy following the high-profile incident in 2012, has voluntarily stepped aside from all pastoral duties in Clogherhead.
While not naming the priest, the Archdiocese of Armagh said: “In line with the safeguarding policy of the Archdiocese and the standards and guidance of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church, a parish priest of the Archdiocese of Armagh has voluntarily stepped aside from all pastoral duties in order to facilitate the full investigation by the relevant authorities.”
It said Archbishop Eamon Martin has asked for prayers for all concerned “while stressing that during the period of the investigation the priest... continues to be entitled to the natural right of every person to the presumption of innocence pending the completion of all relevant state and Church processes.”
The remit of the safeguarding board, based in Maynooth, is to provide advice, services and assistance to the Church in connection with both children and vulnerable adults.
The Garda said it did not comment on named individuals and did not immediately respond when asked more broadly whether gardaí are involved in an investigation. The PSNI also said it does not comment on named individuals.
It is understood the announcement that Fr McVeigh was stepping aside was made to parishioners by Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh Michael Router at Mass in Clogherhead over the weekend.
In March 2012, while parish priest in Pomeroy, Fr McVeigh projected pornographic images from a computer onto a screen before a PowerPoint presentation to parents preparing for their children’s First Holy Communion.
Following a number of weeks in which he was embroiled in controversy and sometimes heated comment, Fr McVeigh, originally from near Dungannon, left the parish.
The archdiocese issued a statement in which the priest said he was not responsible for the presence of the images and described how “I immediately removed the memory stick from the laptop. In my shock and upset, and in my concern to ensure that these images would never be shown again, I destroyed it later that evening”.
An investigation commissioned by the Church found no inappropriate imagery on parish computers. However, a laptop reported stolen from Church buildings some time after the presentation to parents could not be examined.
Fr McVeigh apologised for the hurt caused and said he was taking sabbatical leave. A year later, he was appointed parish priest in Clogherhead, north of Drogheda.
In 2018, the priest upset some parents in the parish when he spoke about the then impending referendum on abortion during a Holy Communion Mass.
The Archdiocese did not identify the priest or his parish in its statement due to the ongoing investigation.
It said: “It is important to emphasise that standing aside in this manner is safeguarding procedure and does not infer either the truth or otherwise of what is being investigated.
“It allows an appropriate investigation to be undertaken by the statutory authorities and the completion of the relevant state and Church processes.”