Police may interview Kate and Gerry McCann's priests in Portugal

By PAUL HARRIS and SAM GREENHILL
Last updated at 17:56 18 September 2007

Police are considering whether to interview two priests who counselled Kate and Gerry McCann during their four months in the Algarve.

Roman Catholic Father Jose Manuel Pacheco and Anglican Haynes Hubbard could be questioned as witnesses over any scrap of information gleaned from the couple that might be helpful to the investigation.

The two men forged close links with the 39-year-old doctors after Madeleine disappeared on May 3.

Father Hubbard socialised with the couple and helped them through some of their darkest periods in the seaside resort of Praia da Luz as they waited for news of their missing daughter.

Father Pacheco gave them keys to the church of Our Lady of the Light to allow them to pray in privacy whenever they wanted - an idea that originally came from parishioners, it emerged on Wednesday.

Portuguese newspapers have speculated that the priests had "received information in confession" from the McCanns which could be of interest to police.

The claim was not sourced or supported. There is no confessional box inside the little seaside church - and Anglican priests do not take formal confession anyway.

But the suggestion that the couple might have disclosed anything privately to Father Pacheco - even something which could demonstrate their innocence - immediately raised the prospect of potential conflict between the Catholic church and the law.

The confidentiality of religious confession is sacrosanct in Catholicism, and must take precedence even over criminal law.

Indeed there was some doubt yesterday over whether detectives from Portugal, a largely Catholic country, would even pose any questions, although they have not ruled out searching the church.

Father Pacheco said: "I find it perfectly normal that police would carry out searches in Praia da Luz, and not excepting the church."

Father Hubbard has already made it clear he believes it was "ridiculous" to imagine that the church could be used to conceal anything.

His wife Susan said yesterday: "We have nothing to hide."

She insisted her husband has had no formal interview or conversation with the police about Madeleine's disappearance - but would be perfectly happy to speak to them.