Michael Ledwith
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Dr. Michael Ledwith (also spelt Micheál Ledwith), a native of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, is an author and teacher at Ramtha's School of Enlightenment, Yelm, Washington, which describes itself "as a school of ancient wisdom".
He was a Catholic priest of the Wexford Ireland Diocese of Ferns from 1967 to 2005. He was a member the senior staff of St Patrick's College, Maynooth, County Kildare, Republic of Ireland for 16 years holding posts of Lecturer in Theology, Registrar, Dean of Theology and Vice President before becoming President in 1985, with the rank of Monsignor until he resigned unexpectedly in 1994.
Ledwith was nominated to be President of St. Patrick's by the then Bishop of Ferns, Dr. Brendan Comiskey. Comiskey resigned in disgrace on account of sex abuse cases in his constituency, and Ledwith paid compensation in 2002 for allegedly abusing a child.[1] The diocese's history of abuse was investigated by the Irish government and published in 2005 as the Ferns Report. Complaints had been passed on as early as 1984 by the Very Rev. Gerard McGinnity to senior bishops, with the result that McGinnity was dismissed and the allegations were not fully investigated.
The matter was further debated in the Irish Senate in November 2005 by Dr Mary Henry, who said: "With regard to Monsignor Ledwith, I was dismayed to read the response of the bishops to whom complaints were made by six senior seminarians, as they are described in the report, as well as the senior dean of Maynooth College, Fr. Gerard McGinnity. Cardinal Daly, one of the surviving bishops, indicated in his statement to the inquiry that it was entirely untrue that any seminarian had mentioned homosexuality to him in connection with Monsignor Ledwith."[2]
Ledwith was appointed during the tenure of Tomás Cardinal O'Fiaich Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh, himself a former President of the College who had served Ledwith on the College staff until his appointment to Armagh in 1977. Ledwith was also supported by O'Fiach's successor, Cahal Cardinal Daly, who having been a Bishop since 1967 was well-versed with his career at the College. Ledwith was regularly spoken of as a future bishop and indeed Archbishop of Dublin especially in 1988 when Cardinal Desmond Connell was appointed.
Ledwith also became Chairman of the Committee of the Heads of Irish Universities and a member, from 1980 to 1997, of the distinguished International Theological Commission, which set up by the Vatican in 1969 to advise the Pope on theological matters.
