This article is from page 15 of the 2014-02-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 15 JPG
A JUDGE has asked the gardaí to investigate the circumstances in which a second teenager from Ennis was married by a man claiming to be a ‘Bishop’.
At Ennis Children’s Court on Wednesday, Judge Patrick Durcan said, “It is disgraceful that this young man is being duped by someone who parades around pretending to be a Bishop”.
He was speaking after being told by a 17 year old boy he had recently been married by Bishop Michael Cox.
The youth – who cannot be named for legal reasons and was before the court on a trespass charge – confirmed to Judge Durcan that he paid € 100 to Mr Cox for the marriage and that he met him only once before the wedding.
He told the judge that he and his wife are expecting their first child in August. The legal age for marriage in Ireland is 18.
Judge Durcan said he wanted the issue to be brought to the attention of the State.
Addressing the teenager, Judge Durcan said, “This man is not a Bishop and he is not entitled to marry you.”
He told the boy this could have seri- ous implications for the status of his marriage, the status of his wife and the status of his child his wife is expecting.
Judge Durcan noted this was the second time in recent months he had been informed of a marriage performed by Bishop Cox for an Ennis teenager.
Last November he ordered gardaí to investigate the circumstances of a wedding of another 17 year-old performed by Bishop Cox.
At the time, Judge Durcan was strongly critical of Bishop Cox. He said the fact that the couple had paid money for the service was “appalling” and “brings things to the lowest depths.”
“I want to say loudly and clearly that anyone who masquerades as a clergy man and who takes money from young people and imbues in them a mistaken belief that he has married them, is in my view committing the most serious offence”, added Judge Durcan.
On Wednesday, Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court the case is under investigation.
Judge Durcan said he also wanted the Probation Services to investigate how young people are being “duped” into paying for sham marriage ceremonies.
Probation Officer, Eoin Ryan said the case has been discussed by the service.
Bishop Cox previously attracted controversy when he ordained Sinead O’Connor a priest in 1999 in Lourdes — he is not a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church and is instead a bishop of the Latin Tridentine Church.