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RTÉ News
19-07-2025
- RTÉ News
Public disquiet factor in Casey's removal from crypt
This Tuesday will mark a year since the RTÉ documentary, in conjunction with the Daily Mail and presented by reporter Anne Sheridan, featured revelations about child sexual abuse allegations against former Bishop Eamonn Casey. It also revealed that Dr Casey was formally removed from public ministry in 2007 by the Vatican, following allegations, which included his niece Patricia Donovan's complaint of child sexual abuse. The Vatican restriction was never disclosed during Bishop Casey's lifetime. Casey consistently denied all allegations against him, and he was never convicted of any sexual crimes. He remained a bishop until his death in March 2017. Although it was not widely known at the time, the funeral, which was attended by 1,600 people, was scaled back for a bishop whose greatest discretion known at that point was an affair with Annie Murphy who had a child by him. The Papal Nuncio, the Vatican's representative in Ireland, did not attend. Again, the presumption was that the man had sinned in the eyes of the church by fathering a child. What emerged through the work of Ms Sheridan and the RTÉ team was that there were four allegations of child sexual abuse made against Casey, including by his niece Patricia Donovan, who claimed in the programme that she was groomed by her uncle and sexually abused by him from the age of five. Another safeguarding allegation noted in the documentary did not meet Tusla's threshold of abuse. The programme ended with footage of the former bishop's funeral and his burial in the crypt under Galway Cathedral. The decision to place his remains in the crypt was one made by the Galway Diocese. The documentary confirmed that it had records of child sexual abuse allegations against the former bishop. Considering the Vatican requested that Bishop Casey was not to exercise public ministry for the last ten years of his life, the view of some contributors to the programme was that this was a significant sanction for a bishop. The Vatican would have viewed the burial of Bishop Casey as a decision for the diocese, as would the Catholic hierarchy in Ireland at the time. Such a siloed approach is not unusual in the Catholic Church. Therefore, consideration over Bishop Casey's remains in the wake of the allegations entering the public domain fell to the current Bishop of Galway Michael Duignan. The Irish Daily Mail carried out a poll around a month following the documentary which showed that 60% of people aged 55 years and older felt that Bishop Casey's remains should be removed. Patricia Donovan expressed her disbelief in the documentary over his burial in the crypt. These kinds of burials are a symbol of the deceased's ongoing spiritual presence and connection to their diocese, even in death. This practice is rooted in the Catholic tradition, where cathedrals are the principal churches of a diocese and the bishop's seat of authority. Inundated with queries as to what he would do, Bishop Michael Duignan expressed his commitment in July last year to "working with anybody affected, to help bring truth, healing and peace to such terribly painful situations". In this context, he said the interment of the remains of Bishop Casey in the crypt beneath Galway Cathedral was "a very sensitive issue that deeply affects people in different ways, and which has different facets". He said it required a period of "careful consideration and consultation" and he requested "time and space" to "adequately and appropriately bring this undertaking to completion". A year on, the Galway Diocese has confirmed that the remains have been removed. It is not known when this occurred; however, the statement says that there were prayers for the dead, and his mortal remains were removed. This was with the "assent and cooperation" of members of the late bishop's family who have requested privacy at this time. The remains have been entrusted to their care. It is questionable how the Galway Diocese could have kept Bishop Casey's mortal remains at the cathedral indefinitely, considering the public disquiet over their presence. The statement said: "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." The current Bishop of Galway Michael Duignan, who was born the year after Eamon Casey became Bishop of Kerry in 1969, is not speaking publicly about the decision.
Irish Daily Mirror
19-07-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Church removes remains of Bishop Eamonn Casey from cathedral crypt
The remains of an Irish bishop accused of sexual abuse have been removed from a cathedral crypt and placed in the care of his family, his former diocese has said. Eamonn Casey gained worldwide notoriety in 1992 after it came to light that he had a son with American divorcee Annie Murphy and had paid her thousands for his upkeep in the US. The bishop died aged 89 in a nursing home in the west of Ireland in 2017 after a long illness. He was interred in the crypt of Galway's Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and Saint Nicholas after his funeral mass was held there. Last year, an investigation by the Irish Daily Mail and RTE revealed allegations of sexual abuse against the former Galway bishop. Bishop Eamonn Casey (Image: Eamonn Farrell // Photocall Ireland) At the time, the Galway Diocesan Office said it would begin a period of "careful consideration and consultation" about his remains. On Saturday, it announced that his remains had been "entrusted" to the care of his family. It said the presence of the bishop's remains at the cathedral "was a deeply felt matter that affected many people in different ways". In a statement, it said: "The diocese would like to thank everyone for their understanding of the situation, for their patience and for their respect as this 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. "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 is their express wish that the arrangements they have made for Bishop Eamonn's final resting place remain private." No information on when the removal took place was provided in the statement. The diocese said: "The members of Bishop Eamonn's family involved ask that their earnest desire for privacy be respected at this time. "We pray that God will continue to draw all those who have been affected by this matter into his healing love." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Sunday World
19-07-2025
- Sunday World
Church removes remains of Bishop Eamonn Casey from cathedral crypt
The bishop died aged 89 in a nursing home in the west of Ireland in 2017 after a long illness. The remains of an Irish bishop accused of sexual abuse have been removed from a cathedral crypt and placed in the care of his family, his former diocese has said. Eamonn Casey gained worldwide notoriety in 1992 after it came to light that he had a son with American divorcee Annie Murphy and had paid her thousands for his upkeep in the US. The bishop died aged 89 in a nursing home in the west of Ireland in 2017 after a long illness. He was interred in the crypt of Galway's Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and Saint Nicholas after his funeral mass was held there. Eamonn Casey (PA) Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 19th Last year, an investigation by the Irish Daily Mail and RTÉ revealed allegations of sexual abuse against the former Galway bishop. At the time, the Galway Diocesan Office said it would begin a period of 'careful consideration and consultation' about his remains. On Saturday, it announced that his remains had been 'entrusted' to the care of his family. It said the presence of the bishop's remains at the cathedral 'was a deeply felt matter that affected many people in different ways'. In a statement, it said: 'The diocese would like to thank everyone for their understanding of the situation, for their patience and for their respect as this 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. '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 is their express wish that the arrangements they have made for Bishop Eamonn's final resting place remain private.' No information on when the removal took place was provided in the statement. The diocese said: 'The members of Bishop Eamonn's family involved ask that their earnest desire for privacy be respected at this time. 'We pray that God will continue to draw all those who have been affected by this matter into his healing love.'
Extra.ie
19-07-2025
- Extra.ie
Bishop Eamonn Casey's remains removed from Galway Cathedral
The remains of Bishop Eamonn Casey have been removed from Galway Cathedral and placed in the care of his family. Eamonn Casey gained notoriety worldwide, after his private life became public in 1992, when it was revealed he had a son with American divorcee Annie Murphy, and had paid her thousands of dollars for the upkeep of the child in the US. The former Bishop died in 2017 after a long illness, and his body was interred in the crypt of Galway's Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and Saint Nicholas after his funeral mass was held there. Bishop Eamonn Casey. Pic: RTÉ Last year, an investigation by the Irish Daily Mail and RTE revealed allegations of sexual abuse against the former Galway bishop. At the time, the Galway Diocesan Office said it would begin a period of 'careful consideration and consultation' about what would happen with his body. On Saturday morning, it announced that his remains had been 'entrusted' to the care of his family. Pic: Collins Photos In a statement, it said: 'The diocese would like to thank everyone for their understanding of the situation, for their patience and for their respect as this 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'. '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'. The statement went on to say 'It is their express wish that the arrangements they have made for Bishop Eamonn's final resting place remain private.' No information on when the removal took place was provided in the statement. The diocese said: 'The members of Bishop Eamonn's family involved ask that their earnest desire for privacy be respected at this time and we pray that God will continue to draw all those who have been affected by this matter into his healing love.'
Irish Independent
19-07-2025
- Irish Independent
Church removes remains of Bishop Eamonn Casey from cathedral crypt
Eamonn Casey gained worldwide notoriety in 1992 after it came to light that he had a son with American divorcee Annie Murphy and had paid her thousands for his upkeep in the US. The bishop died aged 89 in a nursing home in the west of Ireland in 2017 after a long illness. He was interred in the crypt of Galway's Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and Saint Nicholas after his funeral mass was held there. Last year, an investigation by the Irish Daily Mail and RTÉ revealed allegations of sexual abuse against the former Galway bishop. At the time, the Galway Diocesan Office said it would begin a period of 'careful consideration and consultation' about his remains. On Saturday, it announced that his remains had been 'entrusted' to the care of his family. It said the presence of the bishop's remains at the cathedral 'was a deeply felt matter that affected many people in different ways'. In a statement, it said: 'The diocese would like to thank everyone for their understanding of the situation, for their patience and for their respect as this 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. '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 is their express wish that the arrangements they have made for Bishop Eamonn's final resting place remain private.' No information on when the removal took place was provided in the statement. The diocese said: 'The members of Bishop Eamonn's family involved ask that their earnest desire for privacy be respected at this time. 'We pray that God will continue to draw all those who have been affected by this matter into his healing love.'
