Derry priest pleads guilty to 109 child sex and image offences; bishop asks Vatican to dismiss him from the priesthood

Edward Gallagher, a 59-year-old Catholic priest of the Diocese of Derry, pleaded guilty on Monday, Oct. 5, at Derry Crown Court in Northern Ireland to all 109 charges against him. The BBC, RTÉ and the Derry Journal reported that the offences date from June 22, 2023, to April 18, 2025. They include attempted sexual communication with a child under 16, possessing indecent images of children, attempting to encourage a child to engage in sexual activity and possessing an extreme pornographic image. Judge Roseanne McCormick KC ordered a pre-sentence report and set sentencing for Dec. 9. Gallagher remains in custody. The Police Service of Northern Ireland welcomed the pleas, the BBC reported.

In a statement the same day, Bishop of Derry Michael Router said he would petition the Holy See to dismiss Gallagher from the clerical state. He said he would ask that the case be treated as one of "exceptional gravity" and handled through the expedited procedure in church law. Router said Gallagher was suspended from ministry immediately after his arrest. The church's own case was paused so it would not interfere with the criminal prosecution. "Now that the criminal proceedings have reached this stage, there is no longer any reason for the Church's canonical process to remain suspended," he said, according to RTÉ.

The bishop said his thoughts were first with those harmed, "particularly the children." He called the conduct a "radical betrayal" of trust. "The Church cannot undo the harm that has been caused," he said, but it has "a responsibility to respond truthfully, justly and decisively." He said the diocese had cooperated fully with police and statutory authorities and would continue to do so.