By Breaking Belize News Staff: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Belize City and Belmopan is reviewing records of Father Edward Gallagher’s ministry in San Ignacio, Cayo, following his guilty plea to 109 sex offences in Northern Ireland. The review comes amid reports that a Belizean teenage boy accompanied Gallagher back to Northern Ireland after his missionary assignment and lived with him there.
In a statement dated November 12, the Belize diocese said the Diocese of Derry sent Gallagher to Belize, where he served in San Ignacio from approximately 1999 to 2004. The Belize diocese said it had received no complaints or allegations of abuse against him but was reviewing its records. It said anyone who comes forward will be treated with respect and confidentiality and offered pastoral support.
As Breaking Belize News previously reported, The Irish News reported that the teenager is believed to have lived with Gallagher for several months in a parish house in County Tyrone. The Diocese of Derry told the newspaper it had no knowledge or record of the reported arrangement. The report did not allege that Gallagher abused the teenager, and the Belize diocese did not address the reported arrangement in its statement.
Gallagher, 59, pleaded guilty at Londonderry Crown Court on October 5. The offences date from June 2023 to April 2025, nearly two decades after his time in Belize, and include attempting to communicate sexually with children and possessing indecent images of children. He remains in custody pending sentencing on December 9.
Derry Bishop Michael Router said Gallagher was suspended from ministry after his arrest and that he was petitioning the Vatican to dismiss him from the priesthood.
The post Belize Catholic Diocese reviews Father Edward Gallagher’s San Ignacio ministry after report he took a Belizean teenage boy to live with him in Northern Ireland appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Belize City and Belmopan is reviewing records of Father Edward Gallagher’s ministry in San Ignacio, Cayo, following his guilty plea to 109 sex offences in Northern Ireland. The review comes amid reports that a Belizean teenage boy accompanied Gallagher back to Northern Ireland after his
The post Belize Catholic Diocese reviews Father Edward Gallagher’s San Ignacio ministry after report he took a Belizean teenage boy to live with him in Northern Ireland appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.