Ferns diocese settles four cases of abuse by Fortune and Grennan

The Catholic diocese of Ferns has said it has reached settlement with three men who were victims of abuse by the late Father …

The Catholic diocese of Ferns has said it has reached settlement with three men who were victims of abuse by the late Father Seán Fortune and with Ms Fiona Gahan who was abused at Monageer by the late Father James Grennan.

It is understood the men abused by Father Fortune received amounts of €300,000, €250,000 and €135,000.

Two of the abused came forward after the BBC's Suing the Pope was broadcast in March 2002. One of the men featured in that programme, the director/founder of the One in Four organisation, Mr Colm O'Gorman, received €300,000 in settlement from the diocese last April.

Negotiations are continuing on settlement with Mr Pat Jackman and Mr Damien McAleen, who also featured in the programme.

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It was alleged that Father Grennan, the parish priest at Monageer, Co Wexford, sexually abused Ms Fiona Gahan when she was 12, and other girls.

On February 20th last year at Wexford Circuit Court her barrister, Mr Stephen Lanigan-O'Keeffe, criticised the diocese for what he claimed was its obstruction at every procedural step in his efforts to have an application for discovery in the case transferred to the High Court.

A discovery order had been issued to the diocese by Wexford Circuit Court in July 2002.

Mr Lanigan-O'Keeffe's application was granted, but an application by the diocese at the same hearing, that restrictions on media reporting of the case be imposed, was refused.

A "joint statement" last night, issued by the Ferns communications office, read: "The litigation between Fiona Gahan and the Diocese of Ferns has been resolved. The diocese wishes to acknowledge publicly the hurt experienced by Fiona Gahan.

"Bishop Walsh and the Gahan family urge that the differences surrounding the events of 1988 be set aside in the interests of all involved."

A separate statement said: "To clarify recent media speculation regarding settlements reached in the case of the late Seán Fortune, there have been three such settlements in recent times."