TWO PRIEST LOVERS IN COURT OVER LOVE NEST
Greg Harkin - Irish Independent
A CATHOLIC priest and a former
Franciscan brother have been in a decade long battle over a house after their
relationship broke down during a Christmas row, a court has heard.
Fr Gabriel Rosbotham, now a curate in
Ballina, Co Mayo, and a former Defence Forces chaplain, is suing former lover
and ex-cleric Hugo Crawford over part ownership of a cottage in a rural area
close to Co Donegal’s Bluestack Mountains.
Father Gabriel Rosbotham - Curate - |
Donegal Town Circuit Civil Court
heard how the two met at Galway University in the 1970s.
Mr Crawford said he joined the
Franciscans in Killiney House, Dublin, in 1975, taking his vows as a brother
there a year later.
Hugh Crawford - Former Franciscan |
He met Fr Rosbotham, then also a
Franciscan, again a decade later at Broc House in Donnybrook.
Judge Keenan Johnson heard claims
that Mr Crawford left the Franciscans and bought Rose Cottage at Letterbarrow
for IR£ 23,500 in 1994, paying a deposit of IR £5,000 from ‘pocket money’ he had
saved whilst in the Franciscans.
Peter Nolan, barrister for Fr
Rosbotham, alleged that the priest could not put his name on the mortgage and
title deeds because he remained in the Franciscans under a vow of poverty. Mr
Crawford, having left the Franciscans, was able to do so he alleged.
Mr Crawford accepted that his former
partner had contributed towards Rose Cottage, helping with bills and paying for
groceries on occasion, although he denied it was as often as Mr Nolan had put
to him.
The former Franciscan brother, who
decided not to enter the priesthood, insisted that Fr Rosbotham only
contributed €1,700 towards mortgage payments.
Love nest |
Under continuing cross-examination,
Mr Crawford admitted writing a letter to First Active bank in September 2000
asking them to add Fr Rosbotham’s name to the title deeds as the priest was
“helping with repayments of the loan”.
Asked why he did that, Mr Crawford
told Mr Nolan: “I gave instructions to that effect but I never followed
through.”
Mr Nolan asked the witness: “Were you
in a relationship.” The witness replied: “Yes, we had a sexual relationship.”
Fr Rosbotham, who had given evidence
when the case was part heard at the same court in July, 2013, was recalled to
give further evidence yesterday on the circumstances of the break-up. “I felt
like an absolute stranger at Rose Cottage. It didn’t seem to be your own. I was
tired of the arguments, usually over his family who came and went as they
pleased,” said the priest.
On St Stephen’s Day 2002, after
another row over family, Fr Rosbotham left.
James O’Donnell, defending Mr
Crawford, put it to the priest that he had been “living a lie”.
Fr Rosbotham replied: “Yes, I was.
And so was Mr Crawford.”
In 1997 Fr Rosbotham left the
Franciscans and became a Diocesan priest in Ballina.
Fr Gabriel Rosbotham, a
curate in Ballina, Co Mayo, was given the award at a sitting of Donegal Circuit
Civil Court this morning.
Judge Keenan Johnson said
former Franciscan friar Hugo Crawford was entitled to a 73pc share in the
property known as Rose Cottage in the town land of Letterbarrow, near
Mountcharles.
Fr Rosbotham had sought a
50pc share of the house.
The court had heard
yesterday that the two had been partners and had each paid costs towards the
mortgage and upkeep of the house.
However Mr Crawford, who
left the Franciscans in 1990s and bought the house in his name in 1994, had
defended the claim.
The men had become partners
around 1986 when they met in the Franciscan Order in Dublin.
The judge said he had found
both witnesses to be "very credible and honest".
He went on: "They are
both clear very decent men who still have considerable regard for each other.
They have dedicated their lives to helping others, Fr Rosbotham as a priest and
Mr Crawford as a carer.
"I think it is
unfortunate that this matter had to be aired in court and it certainly strikes
me as a case that was tailor-made for mediation. Had the parties agreed to
mediation, the matter could have been dealt with in private, with each of the
parties retaining ownership of the ultimate resolution."
Judge Johnson had
calculated Fr Rosbotham's contribution to the home as €22,579, with Mr
Crawford's contribution at €51,193.
Rounding to the nearest
percentage, the Judge made his order.
He refused an application
on behalf of Mr Crawford for a stay on the judgement and no order for costs was
made.
Judge Johnson asked that a
new valuation of the property be undertaken.
PAT'S COMMENTS:
PAT'S COMMENTS:
I think that hese two men were foolish to let this matter go to open court and into the public domain and therefore the newspapers. They should both have agreed to mediation.
Father Gabriel Rosbotham who is still a curate in the parish of Ballina in the Diocese of Killala had most to lose by the publicity.
The Bishop of Killala, John Flemming, must now decide what to do about Father Rosbotham.
Bishop John Flemming |
After this very public court case you will find that the priests and people of Ballina and Mayo will be talking about it all.
I suppose if Father Rosbotham is now "celibate" Bishop Flemming and he could decide to sit the scandal out?
BUT THE BIGGER PROBLEM FOR THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN IRELAND AND FURTHER AFIELD IS THAT THESE RELATIONS ARE NOT UNCOMMON.
IN FACT MANY - IF NOT MOST PRIESTS - ARE IN RELATIONSHIPS WITH MEN AND WOMEN.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I HAVE COME ACROSS THE SITUATION WHERE A PRIEST AND HIS PARTNER HAVE INVESTED IN A "LOVE NEST".
SOMETIMES THE LOVE NEST IS A ROOM IN THE SEMINARY. SOMETIMES IT IS A PRESBYTERY. SOMETIMES IT IS A CONVENT. SOMETIMES IT IS A HOLIDAY CARAVAN.
+Pat Buckley
17.10.14.
“What seems to me white, I will believe black if the hierarchical Church so defines.”
― Ignatius of Loyola
― Ignatius of Loyola
HUMOUR:
If this is what is happening in (no offence) backwater, rural Ireland - Mayo and Donegal - what must be the case in Dublin, London, Rome, San Francisco, Manilla, Sydney etc ect.
ReplyDeleteWe need to open our eyes.
Fr. R.
My next door neighbour is a divorced woman with two kids. Our local priest visits her every day and often stays over. The rumour is that he bought the house for her? We all call them "Mr and Mrs Priest" :-)
ReplyDeleteThe same priest refuses to baptise the babies of young couples who are not married and "living in sin" !
Is it any wonder our local church is more than half empty.
Eileen
Dear Eileen,
ReplyDeleteTypical clerical hypocrisy ! I've witnessed plenty of it over the years. It's nauseating.
Priest of Down & Connor.
Well Eileen I remember kids sitting on the wall outside a certain Sligo home many years ago-enough said. What bugs me is how I had the wrath of hell poured upon me and these "modern" guys can do what they like. I am not making a moral judgement but I am pretty cheesed that so much can go on and nobody is prepared to call a spade a spade. Pat you once mentioned human rights abuse in regard to the expectations demanded of clerics. A journalist acquaintance told me that religious themed stories no longer sell papers. In one sense I admire the courage of the priest who is prepared to stand up in court. The question I'm asking is what does this say about the local and national hierarchy. People walking away from church is not the answer but priests and people facing reality might be a step in the right direction. Sean
ReplyDeleteA riot! Who got the purse collection? Here in US is the same thing. Few heterosexual priests and brothers and those that are gay are not celibate. Archbishops and Cardinals do nothing. But our Cardinal is an old woman so.may that could be another reason.
ReplyDelete