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Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Gardaí taking no further investigation into original Bishop Eamonn Casey file
Gardaí are taking no further action into the original investigation file on disgraced Bishop Eamonn Casey. The review was conducted by the Garda National Protective Services Bureau (GNPSB) at the request of Garda Commissioner Drew Harris. A garda spokesperson said: 'This review has been completed and no further investigative actions have been identified." The request came after an RTÉ documentary titled Bishop Casey's Buried Secrets examined the Catholic Church's handling of abuse allegations made against Casey. Multiple allegations of child sex abuse were made against the Bishop, including from his niece Patricia Donovan. She claimed that he first raped her at five years old and the abuse continued for years. Ms Donovan told the documentary: 'The horror of being raped by him when I was five, the violence. And it just carried on in that vein. He had no fear of being caught. 'He thought he could do what he liked, when he liked, how he liked… He was almost, like, incensed that I would dare fight against him, that I would dare try and hurt him, I would dare try and stop him… It didn't make any difference.' The former CEO of The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Ian Elliott, described Bishop Casey as 'a sexual predator'. He told RTÉ: 'It should have been stopped… those that have been distressed and hurt should be helped and supported by the Church. That is a major priority.' Patricia Donovan (Image: RTÉ) Child sexual abuse allegations against Casey were reported to gardaí, but he was never charged. He vehemently denied all of these allegations when he was alive. The former Bishop of Galway died in 2017 and was buried in the crypt of Galway Cathedral. However, on Friday the diocese of Galway confirmed that his remains were removed and they are now with his family. In a statement, Galway Disocesan Office 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". It added: '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.' Casey resigned from his post as Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh in 1992 after it was revealed that he had an affair with American woman Annie Murphy, which resulted in the birth of their son. The Vatican later confirmed that he was formally removed from public ministry in 2007 following 'allegations', which included complaints of child sexual abuse. However, this wasn't made publicly aware when he was alive and was only revealed during RTÉ's documentary last year. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
Garda will not reopen Bishop Eamonn Casey investigation
Gardaí have opted not to reopen the investigation into the late Bishop of Galway Eamonn Casey who had been accused of sexually abusing multiple children. The Garda confirmed the move in a statement on Sunday, shortly after it emerged that the bishop's remains had been removed from the crypt at the cathedral in Galway and returned to his family for reinterment. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris had requested the Garda National Protective Services Bureau conduct a review of the original investigation into the allegations last year. This followed the broadcast of an RTÉ documentary in 2024, made in association with the Irish Mail on Sunday, examining the Catholic Church's handling of sexual abuse allegations against the former Bishop of Galway. It included an interview with one of the former bishop's accusers, his niece Patricia Donovan, who stated that her uncle first raped her when she was just five years old. She claimed that the sexual abuse continued for years. In recent years it emerged that five people had complained of being sexually abused by Bishop Casey when they were children. Bishop Casey died in 2017 at the age of 89. 'At the request of the Garda Commissioner, the Garda National Protective Services Bureau conducted a review of the original investigation file,' the Garda said. 'This review has been completed and no further investigative actions have been identified.' On Saturday, the Galway diocese said that '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.' It added that 'members of Bishop Eamonn's family involved ask that their earnest desire for privacy be respected at this time'. In its statement, the diocese of Galway recalled how following the documentary last July it had issued a statement noting that the continued resting of the mortal remains of Bishop Casey in the crypt of the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas, Galway, was a deeply felt matter that affected many people in different ways. It had appealed then 'for time and space' to allow for 'appropriate reflection and consultation'. In its statement at the weekend the diocese said it '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.' Bishop Casey served as Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh from 1976 until 1992, when he stepped down after it emerged that he had fathered a child with an American woman, Annie Murphy , in 1974.
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- 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.
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Former Galway bishop Eamonn Casey's remains removed from cathedral crypt
Former bishop Eamonn Casey's remains have been 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 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 family. In 1992, it emerged that Mr Casey had fathered a child with an American woman, Annie Murphy, in year, Patricia Donovan waived her right to anonymity in a joint investigation between RTÉ and The Mail on claims her uncle began raping her at the age of five and the sexual abuse continued for Donovan described her "disbelief" over her alleged abuser being buried in the space preserved for senior clergy beneath the investigation revealed that Mr Casey was formally removed from public ministry in 2007 by the Vatican, following "allegations" which included his niece's complaint of child sexual restriction continued for the last 10 years of his life but was never publicly documentary also reported that the Limerick Diocese paid over €100,000 (£86,700) to one of his accusers after his death, in a early 2006, the Irish bishops announced that Mr Casey was moving back to Ireland from England to then, the Vatican had received at least two allegations of child sexual abuse regarding the Casey denied all the allegations against him and he was never convicted of any sexual remained a bishop until his death in 2017 and claimed his removal from ministry was unjust.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Irish Times
Bishop Eamonn Casey's remains removed from Galway cathedral
The remains of former Bishop of Galway Eamonn Casey have been removed from the crypt at the cathedral in Galway and returned to his family for reinterment. A brief statement from Galway diocese said that '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.' [ Obituary: Eamonn Casey - High-profile member of Catholic hierarchy caught in scandal over fathering of son Opens in new window ] It added that 'members of Bishop Eamonn's family involved ask that their earnest desire for privacy be respected at this time'. An RTÉ documentary in 2024, made in association with the Irish Mail on Sunday, examined the Catholic Church's handling of sexual abuse allegations against the former Bishop of Galway. It included an interview with one of the former bishop's accusers, his niece Patricia Donovan, who stated that her uncle first raped her when she was just five years old. She claimed that the sexual abuse continued for years. READ MORE Ms O'Donovan said that Bishop Casey had 'no fear of being caught'. In recent years it emerged that five people had complained of being sexually abused by Bishop Casey when they were children. Former CEO of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Ian Elliot, called the late Bishop Casey a 'sexual predator' in the RTÉ documentary. He said he found the account of what Ms Donovan experienced as 'entirely credible'. [ Analysis: Bishop Eamonn Casey was repeatedly given the benefit of doubt Opens in new window ] In its statement, the diocese of Galway recalled how following the documentary last July it had issued a statement noting that the continued resting of the mortal remains of Bishop Casey in the crypt of the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas, Galway was a deeply felt matter that affected many people in different ways. It had appealed then 'for time and space' to allow for 'appropriate reflection and consultation'. In its statement today the diocese said it '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.' He served as Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh from 1976 until 1992, when he stepped down after it emerged that he had fathered a child with an American woman, Annie Murphy , in 1974.
