FROM GLASGOW REPORTER
“The Parish Priest of St Philomena’s, Provanmill, in the Archdiocese of Glasgow, Fr John “Nancy” Gannon, has a convicted sex offender actively working and ministering in his parish. I attended Mass there at the weekend (3rd Sunday, Lent) and can confirm the said offender was present and seems to have some sort of liturgical role before and after Mass.
Ronan O’Neill, who is related to Gannon through both their mothers, was convicted in 2019 of Sexually Assaulting a female friend at a party; he admitted the offence to her sometimes afterwards during a University project before pleading Guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court.
He was tagged for 9 months, ordered to do 300 hours of community service and put on the sex offenders register for 5 years from 2019 until 2024. Therefore he is still on the register whilst having a role in the parish.
As a side, Ronan O’Neill is the nephew of and lives with his uncle Terry, who was a member of the English Benedictine Community on Fort Augustus on the banks of Loch Ness. Terry was asked to leave the monastery shortly before it was closed under a cloud of allegations.
Further to that, Gannon is a friend of the recently convicted Paedophile Priest, Fr Neil McGarritty, and continues to entertain him in the parish house. “
PAT SAYS
Is Fr Gannon correct in having his sex offender relative working in the parish and church?
On the one hand, you could say it is a very Christian thing to do – to give an offender a second chance and the opportunity to have support in his battle not to reoffend.
On the other hand, you could say the offender is a threat to women and should not be able to move freely in a congregation that expects people there not to be a danger?
MY OWN BITTER EXPERIENCE
MARTIN KERR, a convicted Belfast paedophile, was the head altar boy and a scout leader at St Peters Cathedral Belfast.
Eventually, he was convicted of the serious and serial sexual abuse of altar boys and scouts.
He wrote to me from prison and asked me to visit him and minister to him.
Of course, as a Christian and priest, I responded positively.
After he was released from prison, I helped his get housing in an industrial and shopping area where no families or young people lived.
I discussed his position with my congregation, and we allowed him to attend Mass and play the organ. Every member of the congregation knew all about him and was involved in supervising him.
I was also his supervising person for the local police / social services liaison team.
But Kerr let all of us down completely and reoffended.
I was the one who discovered the reoffending and immediately reported it to the police and he was rearrested within the hour and returned to prison.
BISHOP PAT BUCKLEY 