Two Catholic bishops and the State were yesterday given eight weeks to produce documents sought by a woman who was abused as a child by a priest in the diocese of Ferns.
Ms Fiona Gahan was one of 10 girls who were abused by the late Father Jim Grennan while they were receiving Confirmation tuition from him in Monageer, Co Wexford, in 1988.
She is suing a number of parties over how the case was handled, including the former Bishop of Ferns, Dr Brendan Comiskey, the apostolic administrator of the diocese, Bishop Eamonn Walsh, the South Eastern Health Board, the Minister for Justice, Ireland and the Attorney General.
Counsel for Ms Gahan, Mr Stephen Lanigan-O'Keeffe, told Judge Sean O'Leary at Dungarvan, Co Waterford, Circuit Court that the health board was co-operating fully and no order was required in relation to it.
He was granted orders for the discovery within eight weeks of all documents relating to the case in the possession of the other parties or within their powers of procurement. The parties had consented to the orders.
Dr Walsh, an auxiliary bishop of Dublin who has been in charge of the diocese of Ferns since Bishop Comiskey's resignation, had not been named as a defendant until yesterday. Mr Lanigan-O'Keeffe said Dr Comiskey was being sued personally and in his capacity as Bishop of Ferns at the time.
Judge O'Leary was told a senior garda would sign the discovery affidavit on behalf of the State. Father John Carroll, the diocesan secretary, would do so on behalf of Dr Walsh. Dr Comiskey would be required to sign personally.
Mr Lanigan-O'Keeffe said an application to move the case to the High Court was being considered.
