The former parish priest of Rasharkin in County Antrim flew into Dublin on Thursday night under the cover of darkness.
Father John (JJ) Murray is wanted for questioning bu the PSNI with regard historic abuse cases.
His bishop, Noel Treanor had gone to the Resharkin parochial house and this resulted in Fr. Murray leaving there that day.
Initially he went to stay with a family member in County Down and later lived in Newcastle, County Down.
However, within a short space of time he had gone to apartment on a golf resort in Tenerife.
The PSNI made various efforts to get him to return for questioning.
We do not know what led to Thursday’s arrival in Dublin.
Currently he is staying with family. He also plans some medical examinations before meeting the PSNI – possibly next week.
The alleged victims have all been informed of his return and are now hoping for for closure and justice.
One of them told the blog yesterday that a great weight she had carrird for 35 is beginning to lift off her shoulders.
Let us keep all involved,, especially the victims, in our thoughts and prayers.
Tomorrow’s Northern Ireland edition of THE SUNDAY WORLD will carry a context based story on the matter.
BISHOP PAT BUCKLEY 
114 replies on “WANTED FATHER JOHN MURRAY RETURNS TO NORTHERN IRELAND.”
It will be health issues and pure self interest that has caused him to return. He has not come back because he wants to speak to the PSNI or address any of the accusations that have been made about him. What’s driven him back is that he needs the NHS. Pretty ignoble as a motive for finally returning, isn’t it ?!
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Actually the health service in Spain is superior to ours.
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Yeah, right.
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Doubtful.
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Pat, I see Fr McVeigh of Pomeroy game has resurfaced at the reopening of St Patricks Academy in Dungannon. There are photos of him concekebrating mass in the schools new oratory with Archbishop Martin. They even included him in the dignitaries to be introduced to the President of Ireland.
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Strange! Was he ever on the staff of the school? Amy Martin is brazen.
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I hope Fr McVeigh left his laptop at home.
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… and what a brazen wench she is, Bp Pat.
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Bp Pat, would you look at the wench with her “master” of ceremonies in full HD.
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I thought that pornophilaholic had been banished to Clogherhead, Bp Pat?
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I thought it was Mammy Moore who is in Pomeroy
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What have got against moore
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Is this the same Fr Murray who studied in Allen Hall and lives in County Down.
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No Michael This Father Murray studied in Gaynooth and is a priest of Down and Connor.
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10:07 that was Eamonn Murray in Allen Hall
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@10.07am You seriously need to go to Specsavers .
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Have a read Pat nothing ever changes, nothing is ever going to be done, the sooner this corrupt organisation founders the better. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6788811/Priest-returns-Catholic-Church-despite-sleeping-13-parishioners-attending-fetish-orgies.html
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Why did they get the pro-abortion Free State president to open the school? It was built using UK taxpayers money, with not a washer coming from the Free State.
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A very good question Billy!
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A very political choice, embedding the notion that Catholicism = nationalism in NI and that Catholics there owe allegiance to Dublin and not to NI. A disgraceful decision which I’m told went down badly with Dungannon unionists.
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Maybe he ran out of money or dirtied his bib in Tenerife?
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He still has a healthy diocesan pension, is entitled to a retirement home and has rich friends.
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Speculation Patrick. A healthy diocesan pension? £1,150 a month? To keep car, tax, insurance, food, heat and light on the go?
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It represents 300 + euros a week where food, drink etc is much cheaper than here. Im also told that he has rich patrons in Ireland and Tenerife. I can assure you he is not in penury. For instance, he had a free weekly lunch with wine for many years in a certain Antrim hotel.
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A healthy diocesan pension courtesy of the sheep?
Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 🐑
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You’d live off that no problem in Tenerife or in most places in Spain for that matter.
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Indeed – 307 euros a week.
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A three course meal and a few beers will set you back less than €20 in the suburbs. He could live VERY well on his pension!
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I have been to Tenerife to stay with my brother. Everything is so cheap.
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PS My brother gets a Chinese meal for two and a bottle of wine for Euro 10.
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Plus he’ll get his State Retirement pension and an occupational one if was ever a priest teacher. With a free house thrown he’s not on Skid Row.
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Dirtied his bib in Tenerife is my guess, Tenerife is very cheap to live in once your off the main drag and has a thriving expat community, I can tell you from personal experience that the health service there is, as Pat said, excellent, far better than the NHS or the shambles that is the HSE.
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Maybe the diocese cut off his pension and instructed him to return home to face his accusers?
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Maybe he’s innocent, like Michael Jackson?
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What ya think Magna?
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Huh?
Where the hell am I?😵
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A glass of Lidl port to ward off the rheumatism and the blog, what better way is there to spend a Saturday morning!
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11.18: In answer to your question as to where you are…..” deep up your bottom after your night of booze..” You moron…
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😆
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My guess is that he has been living in a reserved way among the poor and is now being welcomed back into the fold by Noel. As Fr Ted would say, nothing to see here.
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He has been living in an expensive golf resort and has been wining, dining and golfing – according to his clerical friends.
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That’s surely a clerical error Pat!
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Ah I see! Noel is following the precedent set by Claudio Cipolla, the Bishop of Venice with regard to Fr Roberto Cavazzana and taking inspiration from the “mercy of the Lord”. There is indeed nothing to see here. You should delete this blog immediately Pat and have the story pulled from the Sunday World.
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Who owned the apartment he was staying in? It is possible he was evicted, although if he moved into one of the Spanish areas rents are dirt cheap. Possibly he was told come home or we’ll extradite you?
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Extradition threat. Now we are talking.
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He wasn’t extradited or Johnny Law would have been waiting for him at the airport.
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He was not extradited.
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Or maybe the threat of another visit by one of the Singing Priests.
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Pat have you see the video of this inspiring Irish sem who is studying for the archdiocese of New York? Great to see him properly dressed as a sem.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=791734571192701&id=333550430343378&ref=m_notif¬if_t=quick_promotion
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You’re a bit late, we read about pulpit poofter a couple of weeks ago.
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He’s very obviously straight. He’s returned to Ireland to discern his vocation. I hope he does not end up in Maynooth as he’d be tortured there.
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Oh, spare us the seminarian pin up porn ! Come back in five years and see where he is then. And it won’t be wearing clericals, I’m sure. He’ll see the light and recognise all the shite that he’s talking about being a priest is not the reality, and that it’s a dysfunctional and damaging way of being, and he will be off. Take my word for it !
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Ok, dear, you know best. He seems sincere, orthodox. That’s the future. Way to go. You are probably knocking on a bit so I’m respectful of old age. The truth is that the baby boomer generation let us down and we are rebuilding the Church brick by brick. Your day is over, sorry, it did not work.
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@ 2.05
I’m with 2.58.
Because you don’t have a true vocation and can’t hack it you want to pull everyone else down to your level.
Maybe he will continue to ordination, and maybe he won’t, but there’s nothing to stop YOU living a life of prayer, self-denial and service to others except yourself. Stop blaming ‘the Church’ for you choosing comfort and ease.
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Niall McDonagh was a lay student in Maynooth.
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Extradition involves the fugutive being arrested and detained by the foreign police and two PSNI detectives travelling over to escort the fugitive back in handcuffs and being held in custody here.
A fugitive can voluntarily agree to return and arrange to meet the PSNI at an agreed time and place. Voluntary is much more discreet and less traumatic.
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I am trying to give up gossip for Lent but I was very surprised to see a Maynooth classmate in Pipeworks in Belfast. Unlike me he was ordained and serves in an NI diocese (not D&C). Very risky behaviour I’d say. I often wonder if people want to be caught?
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Probably!
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That’s strange you saw him in a place thats is closed down.
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@12:32: The greatest liars, fantasists, rumour-merchants, character-assassins, gossip -mongers and shit-stirrers roost on this blog. You’re one of them.
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No need to get your surplice in a twist. I never said that my classmate and I met recently. I’ll name names if you carry on calling me a liar.
It’s also interesting that you know that Pipeworks is shut. I live in Portadown and travel to Belfast rarely and usually only visit Maverick or Union St (unless it’s full of screaming hen parties) so hadn’t even heard that. I only went to Pipeworks once and didn’t like it.
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@3:58 if that is the case, under which of your stated categories do you roost?
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Ok, your reverence, you’ve provoked me into naming the priest I met in Pipeworks two years ago, around February 2017. I’ll start with initials and diocese in brackets. All your fault I’m afraid for calling me a liar.
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how much is the brandy in Tenerifey? if any of ye are going, would ye be so good as to being a few bottles home. much obliged.
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@5:52pm. You are a rotten filthy LIAR! Go ahead and name names. Betcha ya won’t! 😉
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OK it seems that you want me to out a priest I met in Belfast Pipeworks two years ago. I’m not sure about your motivation but if I’m called a liar I will respond.
First initial is A. Diocese begins with D. Any priests on here will join the dots.
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Uninspiring Bishop Larry Duffy is running round Clogher diocese drumming up interest in lay-led funeral services. Inevitably attendees have tended to be silver-haired female coffin dodgers whose own funeral is not far off and who fancy being clericalised in their sunset years.
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@5.31
How the hell can they even contemplate this! The Sacrifice of the Mass is for the soul of the departed. They are all protestant masquerading as Catholic.
Priests nowadays must all be lazy b’s!
They do f all. Priests of a generation ago WORKED. Many Masses, no cars sometimes, visited sick, baptisms individually and without appointment, weddings without appointment, weddings and baptisms much more numerous than now, long lines for Confession, all houses visited and consecrated to the Sacred Heart, October devotions and benediction every night, school visits, people landed on them to ‘take the pledge’, Corpus Christi processions, financial running of parish and upkeep of buildings etc etc etc.
Nowadays they have so much time on their hands they’re into filth of all sorts. The devil makes work for idle hands.
And this lazy so-called bishop thinks his priests are ‘too busy’ doing f all to give the dead a requiem Mass!
Absolute lazy shower of shites!
Doing nothing but bloody ‘meetings’ ! Wasters!
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Curates in Enniskillen used to cycle round the town and it was said that there were no divorces in the big Cornagrade housing estate in the town when Joe Mullin (now a respected and well-liked Canon) was the CC with responsibility for the Catholics in that estate.
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5.52: What a vile piece of nonsense. You haven’t a clue whoever you are. Your diatribe is out of your backside. That you can trot out all these “jobs” suggests to me you are an ancient piece of history nearing the grave! I hope you get the send off you deserve – an empty crematorium! You utter “shite”!
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5.52: If you are a Catholic, I suggest you move into the 21st century. I hope if you ever require the ministry of a priest that he’ll be miles away from you. You are contemptible and ignorant. And – to use your own word – ‘shite’ but a filthy, ugly piece….Go clean yourself from within.
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There can’t be a lot of work going on in parishes when my wife and I witness so many priests who lunch and guzzle wine whilst taking the collection money to pay for it. Drive big flash cars, expensive holidays and endless pots of cash.
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I agree with @5:52. Few of these things happen anymore and what activities have replaced them? Very few. What does a typical clergy day consist of? It’s the same with bishops: no time to confirm despite far more bishops than there used to be.
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Mustn’t be getting any money anymore hi 5.31
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“People in the past would trust anybody with a collar. Now people are discovering that they can’t do that. You never know if the person is celibate or not, a true servant of God or a servant of the devil.” Fr Ronald Lemmert, New York Archdiocese whistleblower priest.
https://www.ozy.com/rising-stars/the-priest-restoring-trust-in-the-catholic-church-by-exposing-its-sins/92208
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@ 6.21 & @ 6.41
A few raw nerves touched there alright!
Prove us wrong.
We pay your wages, so give us an hour by hour account of your week.
Health service employees in the north have to account daily on computer for every minute of every activity they have engaged in. If the daily diary of activity is not completed they have to answer for it.
So you shouldn’t have any objections to accounting for your time.
And by the way, health workers do a 37 1/2 hr week, and more unpaid, a priest in the service of God who is sincere in believing he is the servant of the people would in the past have done much more.
So shock us. Tell us hour by hour how you spend your time in the service of God.
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@ 6.21, 6.41
Listening to both of you I would very seriously doubt that any Mass offered by either of the two of ye for a departed soul would be valid. I would doubt your intent for consecration among other things.
Do you both not fear the wrath of God who will hold those who profess to be his ministers to account?
Those tasks weren’t ‘jobs.’ They were ministry.
You 2 are so full of your own self-importance you are too grand to help someone struggling with drink to take the pledge. You put so little value on family life or people’s homes that you are too busy with ‘important’ things to bless a home and let a family consecrate themselves to the Sacred Heart. Now you are even so busy you don’t want to offer a requiem Mass. In under God, what important stuff are you doing that you won’t do that? To hold a Corpus Christi procession with first communicants spreading flowers before Our Blessed Lord and letting everyone experience the sheer beauty and reverence owed to Christ is now a ‘job’ is it?
I pity you both. Your religion is sterile. Being a priest is a ‘job’ to you. No wonder nobody bothers with you anymore. The words out of your mouth show the men you are, as last week’s gospel said.
If you want to be public speakers – go and do that to earn your money.
If you want to be administrators – get jobs in the civil service.
If you want to be counsellors – get a job in an advice centre.
If you want to only be charity workers – go work for a Charity.
But don’t take money as priests if you won’t travel miles to say Mass for the dead and if all that comes out of ye both is poisonous pus.
If you can’t stand the heat then get out of the kitchen. Your way of being priests has been tried and failed. Neither of you obviously want to put in a day’s work doing God’s work. You both want to be doing either nothing or stuff that is useless but which you both personally enjoy.
How do you both put in your day?
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What about the well known PP in South Derry spending all his time rehearsing for a silly play!! Visiting his flock has taken a back seat while he treads the boards.
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8.35: You are out of your mind. You have the weirdest notion of Church and Priesthood. Your perceptions need to change. If only you knew my workload, commitment and daily diary…However, now that I’m on my own and in my early 70’s – there used to be 3 up to 4 years ago – I have to be realistic and pragmatic. I have great lay participation but my energy levels are not those of 20 years ago. I think your criticism is misplaced. I believe most of us try our best to prioritise what really is pastorally important. A little encouragement goes a lo g way.
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Clogher Curate is Canon Mullin still around the Skea?
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@ 8.47
“Visiting his flock”!!! Haven’t seen any of that from priests in many’s a long year.
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Ah, Johnny Gates!! Whose he appearing as this time round? There must be little work to do in that parish. Bingo caller one minute and star of the stage the next. Some of us in Maynooth always said he missed his vocation with his theatrical talent.
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Too lazy and the flock is working, indifferent or watching telly. Or all three.
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@ 11.35
I actually don’t believe you.
What IS your daily diary then?
What DO you consider to be pastorally important?
Where in that hierarchy does requiem Mass come?
It is your generation and the one before you who got carried away and threw out everything of value in the Church and debased it.
What drew YOU to the Church and Faith initially? And why have the subsequent generations been robbed of it so that they see nothing of value or beauty in the Church today? The past two generations have not been catechised at all and are spiritually illiterate as regards Christianity. You are seeing the fruit of thisin Ireland now. A very, very mixed up, lost, suicidal, baby murdering generation.
Christians are not called to be eco warriors, vegans or social justice warriors. We have those fascists already. They are called to KNOW GOD -as a result of that their behaviour will be changed. The FOUNDATION of your behaviour has to be based GOD BASED, other wise you will be just chasing moonbeams. The Church is not preaching Christ. It is full of those who COMPROMISE – the word is Our Lady’s, not mine. And her prophecy has been proved so right. “Requiem Mass for your mother’s eternal soul? Too busy, but I’ll get Elaine to lead some prayers and we’ll have a great glowing speech on her. Do you proud and send everyone away happy!”
Dear God, is this the shallowness we’re reduced to!
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Clogher Curate is Canon Mullin still around the Skea?
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No, he is PE in Maguiresbridge. He celebrated his golden jubilee last year. He used to help out with homiletics classes in Maynooth which is only right as he is an outstanding preacher, though he would get a bit flustered in the sacristy beforehand but that is part of his charm and humanity. He sometimes notes as a passing comment that there were 99 seminarians in his first year class in Maynooth.
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Hen pecked fool @6.50pm. Not you again! What eating house will you and your hag wife be in tomorrow snooping and eavesdropping on clergy. Can just imagine you pair of jackasses counting how much wine was drunk and who paid the bill.
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Who paid the bill?
That would be the sheep.😅
Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa🐑
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Hen pecked fool and his Missus should go to the Armagh Hotel tomorrow. Usually a good few clergy get in there on a Sunday.
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Can I just say that I am neither hen pecked or a fool. Thank you for the recommendation however, I have discussed it with the wife and we have decided to go to Ballygally.
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6.59: That pair or buffoons at 6.50 are a fake duo. It’s a send up. If they’re real I hope they choke on their chicken bone tomorrow. They’re loopy, silly, stupid and ancient.
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8:08
Good for you!
You have a few clerics who post here very unsettled.👍
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Thank you. We can tell from the hostility and foul language used against us that some of the Fathers are not happy. We have decided against Ballygally because we just heard a bad review. So we will make our way to the Armagh Hotel instead knowing that priests go there with their Sunday collections.
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BREAKING NEWS
Father Murray arrested this evening and in police custody.
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That’s been expected.
However, I’d like to know what part (if any) Noel Treanor and his sidekick had in Murray’s hasty departure to Spain.
Will Noel be questioned about this I wonder.
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Just like + Vinny when he was archbishop and the Archdiocese of Birmingham sending money to Fr Jim Robinson while he was on the run in the USA. Of course they knew where he was, of course they knew the police wanted him, and of course they kept quiet. A bit like the Vatican Bank knowing where Abbot Soper was in Kosovo, as he accessed his Vatican Bank savings account and had money forwarded to him. Of course they knew where he was, of course they knew the police wanted him, and of course they kept quiet. A bit like Fr Murray…..you get the gist !
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The Bishop and Fr O’Hagan had no “part” to play in his “hasty departure” you will, no doubt, be bitterly disappointed to hear and, even less doubt, which, in your determined malice, you will not want to believe.
They went to Rasharkin to tell him personally that he was immediately suspended from ministry pending investigation for child abuse. Period.
After that, the police take over and, hopefully, justice takes its course.
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7:59
And how do you know?
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Anonymous at 7:59….I think you do protest too much ! Is that you Bishop Treanor, or Mgr O’Hagan, or some other floozie ? They knew exactly what they were doing, and gave him a nod and a wink that the PSNI were coming for him, so he hot footed it to Tenerife. They knew exactly what they were doing and what he would do. Do you think we are fools ? Come on, we’ve seen it too often. And we are wise to the tactics and antics of our priests and our bishops. Maybe the PSNI should take an interest in the timeline and who visited whom and what happened. Maybe + Treanor and Mgr O’Hagan were intent on frustrating the course of justice ?
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7.09: Pat, sounds like you are out waving banners of rejoicing and gladness….Tell us when you’re having the bonfire party!! Some Christian you are! Hopefully true justice will take its course now without all this lynch mob mindset and hopefully all victims/survivors will have the opportunity to receive justice, healing and strength for their lives.
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Have you been supporting the victims for years?
I have.
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PSNI have just tweeted they have charged a 77year old clergyman with two counts of indecent assault on two females and calling it historical abuse.
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Murray will appear at Belfast Magistrates on Monday.
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UPDATE
John Murray bought the Tenerife apartment 20+ years ago.
It overlooks the family pool on the resort.
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.
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,
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A little man, with big issues, used my pseudonym @8:48pm, again.
Not the authentic poster.
Hopefully justice will be done and seen to be done in the matter concerning Fr. Murray.
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i would love a Chinese tonight. usually 17 euro
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OMG, can we even trust any priest
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No, except Bp Pat.
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I am human and weak too. Dont put me on a pedestal. I might let you down.
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Pat at 9.06: Yes, in my life and ministry, where and when absolutely necessary and when asked, I have helped, supported and cared for survivors and families, not for my agenda but to genuinely care for all. Those in parishes where I’ve worked and presently work are well aware of my abhorrence of any kind of abuse. You are not the only carer, much to your disappointment!
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@ “Pipeworks” frequenter – 9:27pm. I repeat – you are a vile and degenerate LIAR! 😀
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As I’ve said already I don’t know what motivation you have in provoking me and insisting that I’m a liar.
If it’s a prurient wish to get me to disclose the details publicly on this blog prepare to be disappointed because I won’t do that. However I’ll email the name & diocese to +Pat.
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Let’s get this guy into court , hear the facts ,those with responsibility ascertain his innocence or guilt.
Too many years of playing golf and hiding behind medical issues, but the time has come.
As for the Bishop and his Monsignor who visited that morning ….. this to my is most worthy of a proper timeline and police investigation.
Monday morning – will bring the facts to the court , Fr Murray.
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