Parents meeting with a priest in Northern Ireland about an upcoming First Holy Communion ceremony were in for quite a shock  when the priest began his Powerpoint presentation and images of gay male porn flashed on the screen.

Father Martin McVeigh of St. Mary's School in Pomeroy quickly fled the room after 16 images had been shown to parents and one 8-year-old child who was also present.

'He was visibly shaken and flustered,' one parent who was present during the meeting told the BBC. 'He gave no explanation or apology to the group and bolted out of the room. The coordinator and the teachers then continued with the presentation."

The parent said those who saw the pictures 'were horrified and distracted.'

When McVeigh returned to the room about 20 minutes later, he made no comment about what had transpired after he inserted a memory stick into a computer.

The parent also told the BBC: 'He continued with the meeting and wrapped up by saying that the children get lots of money for their Holy Communion and should consider giving some of it to the church.'

Cardinal Sean Brady, the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, acknowledged in a statement that the incident caused 'concern to those present.'

'The priest has stated that he had no knowledge of the offending imagery,' Brady stated. 'The archdiocese immediately sought the advice of the [Police Service of Northern Ireland] who indicated that, on the basis of the evidence available, no crime had been committed. The priest is co-operating with an investigation of the matter on the part of the archdiocese.'