Priest Edward Gallagher, 59, from the Diocese of Derry, Northern Ireland, has pleaded guilty to 109 offences related to the online sexual abuse of minors. Following the admission of the facts, Bishop Michael Router announced that he will ask the Holy See to present the case directly to the Pope with a recommendation for his immediate and definitive removal from the clerical state.
“Conduct of this nature represents a radical betrayal” of the trust placed in a priest and is “totally incompatible with the obligations and responsibilities of priestly ministry,” the bishop stated.
Gallagher appeared on Monday, 5 October, before the Derry Crown Court, where he admitted the offences committed between June 2023 and April 2025. He remains in pre-trial detention and must appear again by video conference on 9 December, the date set for his sentencing.
Among the admitted offences are sexual communications with minors via the internet, attempts to induce them to send child sexual abuse material, possession of such material, and attempts to induce minors to perform sexual acts.
According to court information reported by UTV/ITV, Judge Roseanne McCormick KC ordered a pre-sentencing report and kept the priest in custody until the December hearing.
The bishop calls for removal from the clerical state
The guilty plea will now also allow the canonical procedure, which the diocese had kept suspended while the criminal case progressed, to be reactivated.
Gallagher was removed from ministry after his arrest in April 2025. The Church of Derry then opened its own proceedings but avoided making substantial progress in them so as not to interfere with the police investigation and the civil court process.
“Now that the criminal proceedings have reached this stage, there is no longer any reason for the Church’s canonical process to remain suspended,” Router noted.
The bishop announced that he will act “immediately” to request “the most severe penalty available under Church law.”
“I am asking the Holy See to present the case directly to the Holy Father with the recommendation that Father Edward Gallagher be removed immediately from the clerical state,” he explained.
Router has ordered that all necessary documentation be prepared and sent to Rome “without delay.” The diocese will request that the case be treated as one of “exceptional gravity” and that the corresponding procedure be applied to seek definitive removal from the priesthood.
The final decision, however, does not rest with the Bishop of Derry. It will be the Holy See that must resolve the request once the file is received.
Removed from ministry since his arrest
Gallagher was arrested in April 2025 and initially appeared in court charged with attempting to communicate sexually with a minor.
The Diocese of Derry then announced his immediate removal from priestly ministry and reported the opening of ecclesiastical proceedings, making clear that these would proceed without hindering the criminal process.
The police investigation continued to expand over the following months, culminating in the 109 charges that Gallagher ultimately admitted before the Derry Crown Court. During that period, the diocese states that it cooperated with the Police Service of Northern Ireland and with the civil authorities.
“A radical betrayal” of priestly ministry
In his reaction to the outcome of the hearing, Router directed his first words to those who have suffered the consequences of the offences, “particularly to the children who have been harmed and to those who continue to live with the consequences of abuse and exploitation.”
The bishop also referred to the impact of the case on victims and survivors of abuse, families, parishioners, priests, and the wider community.
Addressing Gallagher specifically, he recalled the responsibilities inherent to the priesthood.
“The priesthood is a sacred trust exercised in the service of God and His people. Conduct of this nature represents a radical betrayal of that trust and is totally incompatible with the obligations and responsibilities of priestly ministry,” he stated.
Router also acknowledged that no subsequent measure can, by itself, repair the harm caused.
“The Church cannot undo the harm that has been done. Nor can any canonical penalty eliminate the suffering experienced by victims and survivors,” he noted.
“The Church has the responsibility to respond with truth, justice, and determination,” he added.
Gallagher now awaits sentencing by the Northern Ireland justice system, scheduled for 9 December. At the same time, the Diocese of Derry will send documentation to Rome requesting that the maximum canonical penalty sought by Router be imposed: his definitive removal from the clerical state.