An Irish priest pleads guilty to minor sex abuse, Glasgow shutters 24 churches and half its parishes, the UAE gets a new Vatican ambassador, and more in this week’s Catholic world news roundup.
A priest from the Diocese of Derry in Ireland has admitted to 109 child sex offense charges from June 22, 2023, to April 18, 2025.
Bishop Michael Router said he would ask the Vatican to dismiss Father Edward Gallagher from the clerical state after he admitted to the charges, which include possession of child pornography, attempted solicitation of sexual activity from a child, and attempted sexual communication with a minor, the BBC reported Oct. 5. Gallagher awaits sentencing on Dec. 9.
“I have already instructed that the documentation required by the Holy See be finalized and transmitted without delay,” Bishop Router said in a statement on Oct. 5, according to a BelfastLive report.
“The Church cannot undo the harm that has been caused. Nor can any canonical penalty remove the suffering experienced by victims and survivors. Nevertheless, the Church has a responsibility to respond truthfully, justly, and decisively.”
New Papal Nuncio to UAE
Polish priest Monsignor Grzegorz Piotr Bielaszka has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV
