THE Catholic Church or its clergy are not on trial, a prosecution barrister emphasised to jurors in Armagh Crown Court yesterday when the case opened against a parish priest accused of sexually abusing two altar boys.
Before the court was Father Edward Kilpatrick (53) of Murlough, Co Donegal, who has pleaded not guilty to 19 charges of gross in decency and indecent assault, spanning six years from March 1975 while he was a curate in Steelstown parish in Derry city.
The offences are alleged to have taken place around the sacristy and vestry of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, at Steelstown, and the priest's sitting room in the parochial house.
When the case resumes this morning one of his alleged victims, now aged 31 and a civil servant, is expected to start giving evidence.
Opening the case the senior prosecutor, Mr Terence Mooney QC, alleged Father Kilpatrick had used his position in holy orders for the purpose of abusing altar boys. He said his behaviour with one of the complainants had continued until he was almost an adult.
Warning the jury, composed of six men and six women, that they must be impartial, the barrister said Northern Ireland was a divided society and many people did not like the Catholic Church. Others loyal to the church felt such activities would be best handled by the bishops.
Mr Mooney also cautioned jurors that the homosexual lifestyle of the older complainant, a 33 year old teacher in England, was irrelevant.