A High Court libel action brought by Galway priest Fr Kevin Reynolds against RTÉ has been adjourned as there was no judge available to hear the case.
Fr Reynolds, a parish priest of Ahascragh, is suing the State broadcaster over false allegations made in a Prime Time Investigates programme on May 23 this year.
The programme accused the priest of having sex with a minor while working as a missionary in Kenya and fathering a child by her. It is understood that Fr Reynold’s offer of taking a paternity test was turned down by the makers of the programme who went ahead with the broadcast. However subsequent paternity tests revealed that Fr Reynolds was not the father of the child.
RTÉ later broadcast a lengthy apology to Fr Reynolds, an apology which recognised that the item should never have aired. It also acknowledged Fr Reynold’s unblemished 40-year career in the priesthood.
The libel case was due to be heard before the High Court on Tuesday, however it has now been adjourned.
On Monday it was revealed that the Press Ombudsman Prof John Horgan is to carry out an independent review of RTÉ’s editorial process as a result of this case to prevent a similar incident occurring in the future. It is believed that Prof Horgan will present his recommendations to the RTE board before they are published.
