A Northern Irish priest has sparked a local uproar after accidentally displaying a series of pornographic gay images to a group of parents during at a primary school meeting.
As the BBC is reporting, Father Martin McVeigh projected 16 "indecent images of men" onto a screen as part of a Powerpoint presentation during a March 26 meeting for parents in preparation for First Holy Communion for their children at St. Mary's School in Pomeroy. One eight-year-old child is also reported to have been present during the meeting, according to The Ulster Herald.
"He was visibly shaken and flustered," one parent who was present during the meeting told the BBC. "He gave no explanation or apology to the group and bolted out of the room. The co-ordinator and the teachers then continued with the presentation." The parent also noted that those who saw the pictures "were horrified and distracted."
The images are said to have been uploaded from a memory stick the parish priest had inserted into a computer before the presentation. Although the Police Service of Northern Ireland said there was no immediate evidence a crime had taken place, McVeigh remains under investigation and is said to be cooperating fully.
Cardinal Seán Brady, head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, confirmed the reports in a statement as quoted by Pink News. "Inappropriate imagery was inadvertently shown by a priest at the beginning of a Powerpoint presentation, causing concern to those present," Brady said. "This was immediately removed from the screen." He went on to note, "The priest has stated that he had no knowledge of the offending imagery."
Speaking to the Herald, McVeigh -- who reportedly was not present for Palm Sunday liturgies over the weekend -- said, "I don't know how it happened. There are people making innuendoes who weren't even there, but in this day and age these stories grow. All I can do is let the incident be investigated and be open to that investigation so that what happened can be legitimately explained."