The Archbishop of Tuam has issued a warning to Galway's religious community to be wary of unofficial shrines describing themselves as Catholic, following continued controversy over the House of Prayer in Achill.

In a statement released last week, the Archbishop of Tuam, Michael Neary distanced the Archdiocese from the activities taking place at the House of Prayer, saying that they had had no involvement since the house first closed in July 2008.

He said he had felt "increasingly perturbed by the apparent lack of enthusiasm" from Christine Gallagher, who ran the house and said that celebration of the sacraments and reservation of the Blessed Sacrament were not permitted.

"Any work carried on since then has been entirely of a private nature and has no church approval whatever. Neither does such work enjoy the confidence of the Diocesan authorities. Nothing has been brought to my attention to indicate that I should change from this position in the future," said Archbishop Neary.

"I respect the faith and the devotion of many people who have been impressed by this work in the past. Some of whom have expressed their sadness at my stance. Finally, I wish to remind all Church members that they should not hesitate to enquire, as a matter of course, at local diocesan offices regarding the standing of any work describing itself as Catholic, should they be in doubt."

The authenticity of the House of Prayer has been brought into question in recent times, amid questions about the lifestyle of founder Christine Gallagher. An expose in a national Sunday newspaper earlier this year, showed that Ms Gallagher, who claims to have seen the Virgin Mary and experiences unexplained stigmata, is currently living in the upmarket area of Malahide in a house worth €4 million as well as owning a number of expensive cars. Callers to a popular radio show then went on to accuse Ms Gallagher of conning them out of money to support the shrine.

A spokesperson for the House of Prayer declined to comment on the allegations.

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