Vatican investigates lockdown ‘sex party’ at Newcastle Cathedral
A LOCKDOWN “sex party” at a cathedral is being investigated by the Vatican as part of an inquiry regarding a former bishop, it has been reported.
Bishop Robert Byrne resigned as the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle in December.
In a rare intervention, the Roman Catholic Church is reportedly examining the circumstances of his resignation amid allegations of a sex party held during coronavirus lockdown at St Mary’s Cathedral, Newcastle.
There is no suggestion that Bishop Byrne was at the alleged party in a priest’s living quarters next to the cathedral, nor that he was aware of it.
However, the Archbishop of Liverpool, the Most Reverend Malcolm Mcmahon, who is leading the investigation, has been asked “to prepare an indepth report into the events leading up to Bishop Byrne’s resignation”, according to a letter reported by The Sunday Times.
The Archbishop said in the letter, sent to priests in the diocese, that he was asked by the Dicastery for Bishops, a Vatican department that answers directly to the Pope, to conduct the review and that it would focus on past and present clergy, volunteers and staff as well as a “focus on culture and governance arrangements around safeguarding”.
It is highly unusual for the Dicastery for Bishops, which nominates bishops and monitors their performances worldwide, to become involved in investigations directly.
Father Michael Mccoy, who was dean during lockdown, is alleged to have approached a number of worshippers asking if they would like to attend “a party” at the cathedral, which reportedly prompted a number of complaints. Canon Mccoy,57, took his own life, in 2021, days after he discovered Northumbria Police’s child and adult protection department was investigating him after a “non-recent allegation” of child sex abuse was made against him.
Last week, the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) confirmed that it had launched “an official, independent, unscheduled safeguarding audit and safeguarding review” in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
Steve Ashley, the chief executive of the CSSA, said the report would be published publicly as soon as possible.
Nazir Afzal, the chair of the CSSA and a former chief crown prosecutor, said the review is being supported by the Archbishop of Liverpool.
He said: “There should be no doubt that we will leave no stone unturned when it comes to keeping people safe, and this includes investigating the safeguarding culture.”
A spokesman for Hexham and Newcastle Diocese said it had previously invited the CSSA to conduct a review following the resignation of Bishop Byrne in Dec 2022 and that prior to this, in mid-december, it had self-referred to the Charity Commission.