A Catholic priest in Northern Ireland has found himself in hot water after he accidentally displayed a series of pornographic gay images during a presentation to parents of children preparing to receive First Holy Communion.

Father Martin McVeigh projected 16 "indecent images of men" on a projector screen during a March 26 PowerPoint presentation to a group of 26 parents at St. Mary's School in Pomeroy, Ireland, the BBC reports.

McVeigh has said he had no knowledge of the images.  Parents in attendance told the BBC the images appeared on the screen from a memory stick the parish priest had inserted into a computer before the presentation. According to The Associated Press, parents who attended the meeting have demanded in a letter that McVeigh be suspended and barred from their children's First Communion.

"He was visibly shaken and flustered," one parent said. "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."

McVeigh returned to the room twenty minutes later, parents said, to finish the presentation but made no reference to the images.

Irish media outlets are also reporting that at least one child, said to be an eight-year-old, was at the meeting.

The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, confirmed the incident and said an investigation opened by the Police Service of Northern Ireland determined there was no immediate evidence a crime had taken place.

"Inappropriate imagery was inadvertently shown by a priest at the beginning of a PowerPoint presentation, causing concern to those present," Brady said in a statement. "This was immediately removed from the screen…The priest has stated that he had no knowledge of the offending imagery."

Father McVeigh defended himself in remarks to the Ulster Herald newspaper last week.

"I don't know how it happened but I know what happened," he said.  "There are people making innuendos who weren't even there but in this day and age these stories grow.  All I can do is let the incident be investigated and be open to that investigation so that what happened can be legitimately explained."

The investigation by the church into the matter remains open, Cardinal Brady confirmed in his statement. He added that Father McVeigh is "cooperating."