Reinstated Ireland parish priest, Fr Kevin Reynolds says the RTE media apology has freed him from false allegations, baseless accusations and lies.
Reynolds was accused of raping a minor, named Veneranda while he was a missionary in Kenya and as a result of the rape, fathering a child named Sheila.
In an apology, dated Thursday 6 October, RTE media Ireland acknowledged that the material in the programme concerning Fr Reynolds ought never have been broadcast and it regrets the serious consequences caused to Reynolds.
“He is entirely innocent of the allegations broadcast against him,” RTE said in a statement.
“RTE now fully and unreservedly accepts that the allegations made by Prime Time against Fr Kevin Reynolds are baseless, without any foundation whatever and untrue, and that Fr Reynolds is a priest of the utmost integrity who has had an unblemished 40 year career in the priesthood and who has made a valuable contribution to society in Kenya and Ireland both in education and in ministry.”
Speaking with his parishioners at Sunday Mass, Reynolds, the parish priest of Ahascragh, Galway received several standing ovations when he told his parish that RTE media’s allegations were false and baseless.
Reynolds described the event surrounding his stepping down from ministry as a “nightmare.”
“I went along with the child protection procedures and protocol. The problem is, though, there is no procedure for someone who is innocent. You are treated as if you are guilty,” Reynolds said.
Especially relieved to have been proved innocent Reynolds said “I am due to celebrate two marriages, one of a nephew named after me, and another of my very special niece.”
“I’ve got tremendous support from my parish and friends and colleagues, but it hasn’t been easy,” he added.
At a mass marking his reinstatement, Bishop Christopher Jones, Bishop of Elphin, said Fr Kevin had responded to the attack on his integrity with great courage, strength and resilience.
Despite Reynolds immediate protest of innocence and denial of all the allegations, and despite, through his solicitors being prepared to undergo a paternity test, RTE broadcast the allegations last May on the “Prime Time Investigates.”
Sources
- RTE News – Apology
- Kerryman.ie
- RTE News
- Image: Irish Times
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News category: World.
