Latest news with #GalwayDiocese
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Bishop Eamonn Casey: Gardaí taking no further investigative action
A review into the original investigation file on Bishop Eamonn Casey has been completed and no further investigative actions have been identified, An Garda Síochána (Irish police) have comes as his remains were removed from the crypt of Galway served as bishop of Galway from 1976 to 1992, and died in allegations of child sexual abuse have been made against him, including by his niece. In a statement, An Garda Síochána said the the Garda National Protective Services Bureau conducted a review of the original investigation file on Bishop Casey, at the request of the Garda Commissioner."This review has been completed and no further investigative actions have been identified."Bishop Casey is the first senior cleric to be disinterred in Ireland following posthumous concerns about his conduct, according to Irish national broadcaster RTÉ.It is not clear when the disinterment took place but the Galway Diocese confirmed that the remains are with his a statement, the Galway Diocese thanked everyone "for their understanding of the situation, for their patience and for their respect as this process was undertaken and brought to a conclusion".
RTÉ News
a day ago
- RTÉ News
No further investigation into Bishop Eamonn Casey
A review by the Garda National Protective Services Bureau into the original investigation file on Bishop Eamonn Casey has been completed and no further investigative actions have been identified. The confirmation comes following an announcement by the Galway Diocese that the remains of the late bishop have been removed from the crypt of Galway Cathedral. Following the broadcast of the documentary 'Bishop Casey's Secrets' last year, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris requested that the Garda National Protective Services Bureau examine the original investigation file into Bishop Eamonn Casey. Gardaí have confirmed that the review has been completed and no further investigative actions have been identified. Residential Institutions Survivors Network spokesperson William Gorry said the news of Bishop Casey's removal from the crypt brought memories back for abuse survivors of their treatment by the Catholic Church. Mr Gorry said he had been fielding calls from other survivors who he said found it "sick" to see "privacy and quiet" surrounding the removal of Bishop Casey's remains. The former Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin acknowledged that today would be difficult in respect of the family and those who have suffered. He noted that the Bishop of Galway promised to investigate the matter and it was obvious that a lot of consultation was done. He added that the statement issued by the Galway Diocese was "thoughtful and sensible".
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
‘It was long overdue': Move to remove disgraced Bishop Eamonn Casey from Galway Cathedral praised by clergy and campaigners
The family of disgraced bishop Eamonn Casey now face the prospect of whether to cremate his remains or bury him, after the Galway Diocese confirmed that his remains have been removed from the crypt of Galway Cathedral. The move — which had been deliberated on for nearly a year by his family, the Galway Diocese and Catholic Church hierarchy — follows multiple allegations of child sexual abuse, and the revelation last year that he was removed from ministry by the Vatican a decade before he died, a restriction which was never publicly known. Casey is the first Irish bishop to be removed from his resting place after the allegations of abuse were exposed, in addition to the alleged cover-up by the church amid public outcry. Colm O'Gorman, who is a long-time campaigner for survivors of clerical sexual abuse, said the disinterment was 'obviously the right decision'. Mr O'Gorman, a survivor of abuse at the hands of the late Fr Seán Fortune, said that burying somebody in a "cathedral crypt makes a statement about that person's standing and reputation, numbering them among the 'great and the good'. 'Obviously, it [the burial in the ¬cathedral crypt] was a source of great offence and hurt to Bishop Casey's victims,' Mr O'Gorman added. The founder of the One in Four group, which supports survivors of sexual abuse, said he hoped the decision to allow Casey's family to re-inter his body elsewhere 'would bring some closure to his victims , particularly because his interment there [in Galway Cathedral] caused very great hurt.' Eamonn Casey, who was once one of Ireland's most popular and publicly charismatic bishops, was the subject of an RTÉ documentary last year, produced in association with the Irish Mail on Sunday following a long-running investigation. The documentary was presented by Anne Sheridan, now news editor of the Sunday Independent. It revealed that Casey faced five child abuse allegations, over four decades, from the 1950s to the 1980s, and in every Irish diocese where he served. ADVERTISEMENT Three of those allegations relate to the Limerick diocese, with one woman receiving a settlement of over €100,000. Another woman received a settlement through the Residential Institutions Redress Board. Casey's niece, Patricia Donovan, made a complaint to gardaí that she was abused by him from the age of five for over a decade. The programme revealed that Casey was formally removed from public ministry in 2007 by the Vatican, but the church never disclosed this to the public. Fr Patsy Lynch, a Kerry priest who ripped up photos showing his ordination by Casey, who was then Bishop of Kerry, after the programme aired, also welcomed the move by the Galway Diocese. He told the Irish Independent: 'This action is long overdue. My thoughts are with Patricia Donovan and others abused by Eamonn Casey.' A number of days after the programme aired, the Galway diocese released a statement saying: 'The interment of Bishop Casey in the cathedral crypt now requires a period of careful consideration and consultation, which has already begun. 'Time and space are required to adequately and appropriately bring this undertaking to completion.' Yesterday, nearly a year since the programme aired, the diocese said Casey's remains 'have been moved from the cathedral crypt and entrusted to the care' of the family. Patricia Donovan, from Limerick, first reported Bishop Casey for alleged abuse in 2005 after it allegedly began in the late 1960s for over a decade. Ms Donovan spoke out for the first time in 2019. Detectives in Limerick travelled to England to take a statement from her in January 2006 but, by August of the same year, the Director of Public Prosecutions directed that no charges be brought on 13 sample allegations. Bishop Casey later said that he was 'utterly amazed' by the speed of the decision from the DPP, claiming that he had only been interviewed by gardai a few weeks prior. He denied her allegations. He was never convicted of any crimes.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- RTÉ News
Breaking Galway Diocese confirms removal of Bishop Eamonn Casey's remains from cathedral crypt
The remains of the late Bishop Eamonn Casey have been removed from the crypt of Galway Cathedral. The Galway Diocese announced the development in a statement issued this morning. It is not clear when the disinterment took place, however, the statement has confirmed that the remains are with Eamon Casey's family. "Now, with the assent and co-operation of members of the late Bishop Eamonn's family and following prayers for the dead, his mortal remains have been moved from the Cathedral Crypt and entrusted to their care," it says. A year ago, an RTÉ documentary, presented by reporter Anne Sheridan, examined the Catholic Church's handling of allegations of sexual abuse against the former bishop. It included an interview with Dr Casey's niece Patricia Donovan, who claimed that her uncle first raped her at the age of five and that the sexual abuse continued for years. The investigation also confirmed that Bishop Casey was formally removed from public ministry in 2007 by the Vatican, following child sexual abuse allegations. That restriction continued for the last ten years of his but life but was never publicly disclosed. Bishop Casey died in 2017 and was buried in the crypt beneath Galway Cathedral following a funeral which was attended by 1600 people. The Pope's representative in Ireland at the time the Papal Nuncio, and many senior Catholic clergy were not in attendance. In the documentary, Patricia Donovan described her "disbelief" over her alleged abuser being buried in the space preserved for senior clergy beneath the cathedral. Members of the public echoed those concerns on RTÉ's Liveline programme and through opinion polls carried out last year. The Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora issued a statement noting "that the continued resting of the mortal remains of Bishop Eamonn Casey in the crypt of the Cathedral was a deeply felt matter that affected many people in different ways". It appealed for "time and space" to allow for appropriate reflection and consultation. In the latest statement, the Diocese has thanked "everyone for their understanding of the situation, for their patience and for their respect as the process was undertaken and brought to a conclusion". "Significant consensus emerged around the unique role of a Cathedral as a place of unity rather than division, healing rather than hurt and peace rather than disquiet." It also states that the express wish that "the arrangements made by the family for Bishop Eamonn's final resting place remain private". The family has also asked for their privacy to be respected. The statement concludes that "God will continue to draw all those who have been affected by this matter into his healing love". Eamonn Casey is the first senior cleric to be disinterred in Ireland following posthumous concerns about his conduct. He consistently denied all the allegations against him and was never convicted of any sexual crimes.
