By Belize Live News Staff: The Catholic Church in Belize is encouraging anyone who may have been harmed by Fr. Edward Gallagher to come forward, promising they will be treated with respect and confidentiality.
The appeal came in the first public statement from the Diocese of Belize City and Belmopan since Gallagher’s guilty plea made headlines and an Irish newspaper reported that he is believed to have brought a teenage boy from his Belize mission to Ireland to live with him.
The diocese’s statement did not address that report. The Diocese of Derry has said it has no knowledge or record of such an arrangement.
What the local diocese did confirm is that Gallagher worked in San Ignacio Town between about 1999 and 2004, and that it is now going through its records of his time here.
“Anyone who comes forward will be treated with respect, confidentiality, and offered pastoral support,” the diocese said.
The diocese said it is committed to protecting children and vulnerable adults, calling it a basic requirement of proclaiming the Gospel. It offered prayers for the children harmed by Gallagher, their families and all survivors of abuse.
The offences Gallagher admitted to took place in Northern Ireland more than two decades after he left Belize. No allegations against him have been reported in Belize.
Anyone with information or concerns can also contact the Belize Police Department or the Department of Human Services.
