TAOISEACH Simon Harris has urged the Church to ensure their further consideration and consultation on Bishop Eamonn Casey’s remains being at Galway Cathedral is victim focused.
In the lead story in last week’s Limerick Leader, the diocese of Galway said they needed to “reflect” after watching the major documentary, Bishop Casey’s Buried Secrets, on whether Bishop Casey’s remains should stay interred in the crypt at the cathedral.
The programme on Monday night revealed that there were at least five complaints of alleged child sexual abuse made against Bishop Casey - three in Limerick. The Church received four separate complaints of childhood sexual abuse against Bishop Casey and one further ‘child safeguarding concern’.
The RTÉ documentary is in association with the Irish Mail on Sunday and Daily Mail news editor Anne Sheridan, formerly a journalist with the Limerick Leader. It aired on Monday night with over half a million views thus far.
Bishop Casey was a native of Kerry but was brought up in Adare, where his father was a creamery manager. He attended St Munchin's College before being ordained a priest for the Diocese of Limerick. His first parish was St John’s in the city.
On Saturday, a statement from the Diocese of Galway said “the interment of the remains of Bishop Casey in the crypt beneath Galway Cathedral is a very sensitive issue that deeply affects people in different ways, and which has different facets”.
“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. We will not be making any further public comment until we are in a position to provide an update.”
It said it was in the context of a statement last Tuesday by the Bishop of Galway Michael Duignan relating to the life and legacy of Bishop Eamonn Casey, clearly expressing his commitment to “working with anybody affected, to help bring truth, healing and peace to such terribly painful situations.”
The Mail on Sunday received a statement from Taoiseach Simon Harris, who thanked the victims of Eamonn Casey for coming forward and sharing their stories.
“Without them and without this documentary, we would never have known the extent of evidence of abuse against Eamonn Casey. An Garda Siochana has now initiated a review of the case, and I welcome that.”
The Taoiseach also noted the church’s comment on Eamon Casey’s remains being at Galway Cathedral and “urged them to ensure their further consideration and consultation is victim focused”.
“In the past week Irish society has learned there was something much darker behind Eamon Casey’s estrangement from the church than many believed. The evidence in the documentary has only added to the sense of betrayal that people feel about the Catholic Church in Ireland and the concealment seen in the case of Eamon Casey.
"There are serious questions for church authorities to answer once again as to why this was the case,” said Mr Harris in the statement to the Mail on Sunday.