Despite the desire of several bishops of the Catholic Church, the story of Father Chesney’s activities prior to the Claudy bombing are not going away.
This week Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness has said he forgot a deathbed conversation he had with the priest suspected of being involved in the 1972 bombing.
Mr McGuinness told the BBC in 2002 he had never met Fr James Chesney, but on Wednesday past he revealed they had met.
However, he said on Thursday there was no suspicion about Fr Chesney at that time and only recalled the meeting in recent years when further allegations emerged.
"It was an omission on my part and it was a mistake," he said.
The Belfast published newspaper, “Sunday LIfe” is not the sort of newspaper one would consult for matters theological - this coming sunday it is to produce a supplement ‘telling all’ on the past sex scandals of Northern Ireland and it looks as though there is no shortage of material... from a Chief Constable who had an affair to a DUP councillor and his male masseur.
The Sunday Life’s faith matters were mainly in the north-west last week-end, with claims of healing from the Padre Pio Centre in Derry and testimony that The Padre Pio mitten is behind some of Ulster’s cures. It also got an airing on last Sunday afternoon’s BBC Radio Ulster by Fr Brian D’Arcy who was also recycling his “How I met the Pope” routine on the BBC’s “One Show” on wednesday last.
Certainly the good folk of Claudy still could do with healing after the bombing which wrecked the lives of the villagers. In a one page feature in the Sunday Life there were two articles. Ex Detective Chief Superintendent Norman Baxter wrote that Chesney “has now been exposed as a cleric who orchestrated and executed murder”. He stated that the spirit of Pontius Pilot was still alive in the church. Traces of explosives had been found in the boot of Chesney’s car.
He continues, "What respect did the Roman Catholic leadership have for their congregations when they permitted a morally corrupt and criminally culpable priest to administer the symbolic sacraments whilst the blood of the Claudy dead was on his hands?
“In the early 1970’s the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church was impotent to deal with Republican inspired priests. Other priests were utilised by the IRA to swear in new members to the organisation and participate in pro-republican activity”. South Derry was such an area in 1972, he claims.
He continued, “When Father Chesney was Curate of Bellaghy Parish, Dominic McGlinchey (18), Frances Hughes (16), and Thomas McElwee (15) joined the IRA. It will now never be known what assistance Chesney gave to these men and how many deaths he was indirectly responsible for. Whatever the reason of the RUC hierarchy not to arrest Father Chesney the result has been the betrayal of the dead”.
In the other report on the same page, Aaron Tinney recorded that “Provo Priest Fr James Chesney splashed bingo hall cash on a brand new Porsche 911 in the late 1960’s, a car salesman has revealed... his bizarre encounter with the IRA leader cleric had stuck in his mind over the decades because of the amount of money the holyman had on tap”.
The priest had come out of the parochial house carrying two sacks stuffed with notes. The car bought in 1969 would be worth around £80,000 at current prices.
The salesman has since moved away from Northern Ireland and did not want to be named.
Ivan Cooper the former Member of Parliament, recalled how most priests were involved in fund raising activities but Chesney was in a different league.
“He organised big dances and massive bingo events where all the little towns and villages round about could join in by radio link for what were huge prizes in those days”.
The report continued, “Suspicions were aroused about Chesney’s bingo events after parishioners began to point out the alarming regularity with which profits would be robbed.
“They alleged the takings were going straight to the IRA’s coffers - with the priest’s blessing”
Sunday Life - September 5, 2010
See also BBC News NI for interview of September 10, on the situation in County Derry in the 1960's with former priest Denis Bradley of the Eames-Bradley Report:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11262229
and related links following
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