Martin McVeigh, Irish priest, mistakenly showed congregation gay porn

An Irish priest, Father Martin McVeigh, "inadvertently" projected gay porn during a presentation at a school in County Tyrone, Ireland on March 26, said the BBC.

The images were shown on screen during a meeting for parents in preparation for their children's First Communion.

CNN reported that the Catholic Church in Ireland was launching an investigation into the claims by parents who were present. Cardinal Sean Brady, the leader of Ireland's Catholics, admitted that "inappropriate imagery was inadvertently shown by a priest at the beginning of a PowerPoint presentation."

The statement also said the photos were "immediately removed from the screen" and that McVeigh "stated that he had no knowledge of the offending imagery."

However, there was local uproar, with parishioners planning a protest outside the church on Sunday until they found out that McVeigh would not be present at Mass, according to CNN.

More on GlobalPost: Lauren Jarrell, mother who baptized children without ex-husband's consent, faces jail time

Parents who were present told the BBC, "He was visibly shaken and flustered," referring to McVeigh. "He gave no explanation or apology to the group and bolted out of the room," they said, noting that the parents who viewed the pictures were "horrified and distracted."

Tech blog Gizmodo reported that he later told the press, "I don't know how it happened but I know what happened. There are people making innuendoes who weren't even there but in this day and age these stories grow."

When the Archdiocese of Armagh gave the police the USB which contained the images, the police said there was no crime committed and confirmed that the drive didn't contain any pedophilia.

More on GlobalPost: Tough times for Australian billionaires