Catholic bishop blasted for letting paedophile priest live with him

Catholic bishop ‘put people at risk’ after he promoted clergyman with history of grooming behaviour and invited convicted paedophile priest to live with him, damning report finds

• Robert Byrne, the ex-Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, resigned last December 
• The Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency criticised his leadership in report

A Catholic bishop’s astonishing decisions to promote a clergyman with a long history of ‘grooming’ behaviour and invite a convicted paedophile priest to live with him have been revealed in a damning report.

The probe by the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) also exposes blunders in the monitoring of the suspected clergyman spanning many years, including the forgery of his signature on a key document.

The diocese ‘safeguarding review’ follows the resignation of Robert Byrne, the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, last December.

It concluded Bishop Byrne’s ‘poor leadership’ had ‘undermined’ the safeguarding work of others ‘to the degree that people were put at potential risk’.

The Bishop’s promotion of Canon Michael McCoy to Dean of St Mary’s Cathedral in Newcastle was made despite a history spanning more than 20 years of concerns of ‘inappropriate behaviour with male teenagers.’

Bishop Robert Byrne (pictured) undermined safeguarding efforts in the Hexham and Newcastle diocese, a probe by the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency found 

The diocese ‘safeguarding review’ follows the resignation of Robert Byrne, the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, last December. Mr Byrne is pictured

Canon McCoy committed suicide in 2021 four days after Northumbria Police launched an investigation into allegations of historical sexual offending made against him by a ‘person under the age of 18.’

READ MORE: Bishop was reported to police for alleged ‘abuse’ amid claims his cathedral property was reportedly used for lockdown ‘sex party’

The CSSA report has now revealed how concerns about Canon McCoy were reported to the church authorities in 1996, 2007 and 2010.

He was supposed to sign a safeguarding ‘contract’ to agree formal monitoring of his behaviour but nothing was done for nine years until the blunder was discovered in 2019.

It was then discovered that a church official had forged Canon McCoy’s signature on the contract document to make it appear as if he had agreed to the monitoring.

The report found: ‘Canon McCoy displayed a clear pattern of grooming behaviour over the years. There was an abundance of warning signals which should have given rise to more stringent safeguarding measures, and that the Diocese missed opportunities to intervene to prevent or ameliorate harm.’

Over the years Canon McCoy’s behaviour was said to not amount to criminal offending but included lying about going on holiday with two young males and facilitating under-age drinking in local pubs. When he worked as Chaplain at a secondary school social services were told of how he invited young people to his presbytery to allow them to drink alcohol.

In 2010 a report that he was ‘associating inappropriately’ with under 18-year-olds and offered to take one on trips abroad led to the church authorities insisting that Canon McCoy sign the ‘safeguarding contract’ and should be removed from his youth roles.

But ‘Canon McCoy was not removed from any of his roles with young people and, in effect, remained entirely unmonitored.’

Canon Michael McCoy (pictured), was promoted to Dean of St Mary’s Cathedral in Newcastle  despite a history spanning more than 20 years of concerns of ‘inappropriate behaviour with male teenagers’

Despite all this Bishop Byrne still appointed Canon McCoy to the senior post of Dean of St Mary’s Cathedral in 2019. The report revealed he was warned personally by the outgoing Bishop of concerns about him.

Other senior clergy also warned Bishop Byrne against the promotion and reiterated his worrying safeguarding history but he went ahead with the appointment.

Around the time of Canon McCoy’s death the church authorities were told of ‘inappropriate gatherings during lockdown’ at the cathedral. These had been instigated by Canon McCoy and involved a ‘small group of male adults’ who socialised in private quarters after services, but an internal inquiry found there was ‘no sexual element to the gatherings.’

The report also criticised the Bishop over his dealings with a local priest – named only as Father A – who was a registered sex offender following a conviction in 2014 and suspended jail sentence for making and possessing indecent images of children.

Father A and Bishop Byrne were close personal friends and had known each other for three decades. He has not been named as he is being prosecuted for another alleged sexual offence and proceedings are ongoing.

After becoming Bishop in 2019 he made it known that he wanted Father A ‘to move in with him.’ Officials advised it was inappropriate as he was a sex offender.

Around the time of Canon McCoy’s death the church authorities were told of ‘inappropriate gatherings during lockdown’ at St Mary’s Cathedral in Newcastle (pictured) 

Bishop Byrne (pictured) was also criticised over his dealings with a local priest – named only as Father A – who was a registered sex offender following a conviction in 2014

Despite being refused permission, the report found Father A spent ‘considerable time’ at the Bishop’s residence and ‘would stay overnight on the premises’ and had his own set of keys.

Bishop Byrne also tried to get Father A a job with the diocese and at a charity, but these requests were rejected.

The report concluded his association with the paedophile priest ‘posed an unacceptable safeguarding risk which should never have happened.’

The CSSA made 12 recommendations to the diocese to improve practice. It found current safeguarding met minimum standards but there had been ‘serious failures of leadership’ in the past.

Bishop Byrne was not available for comment.

Lawyer Richard Scorer of Slater and Gordon, who has acted for many survivors of clerical sex abuse in the Catholic church, said: ‘This is a damning report which exposes multiple failings in the diocese.

‘However, it raises a much wider issue for the Catholic church which is the unlimited and unaccountable power of bishops.

‘In the Catholic Church’s medieval structure, the bishop is king in his own diocese and can ignore and ride roughshod over the advice of safeguarding advisors.

‘Whenever we see scandals in the Catholic church, we typically find that a bishop has abused his power.

‘Unless and until the Catholic church, nationally and internationally, radically reforms its structures to ensure that bishops are properly accountable, these kinds of scandals will continue to happen.’

In response to the report, Archbishop of Liverpool Malcolm McMahon said: ‘The diocese accepts all of the recommendations to improve safeguarding practices and to provide pastoral care and support, safety and protection to survivors.

‘Together, we are committed to a safer safeguarding practice.’

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