Eamon Casey
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Eamon Casey (b. April 24, 1927 in Firies, County Kerry) is the Roman Catholic Bishop Emeritus of Galway and Kilmacduagh, Ireland. He was formerly Bishop of Kerry.
The resignation of Bishop Casey as Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Apostolic administrator of Kilfenora in May 1992 is widely regarded as the pivotal moment when the Roman Catholic hierarchy began to lose its considerable influence over the sociology and politics of the Republic of Ireland.
He had had a long intimate relationship with Annie Murphy, an American divorcée since at least 1973 and together they had had a son, Peter, born in 1974.
It is alleged that he used church funds to fulfil his maintenance obligations; whether this was with or without the knowledge of his colleagues remains a matter of conjecture. When the matter became public, Bishop Casey resigned his post and left for a missionary position in Ecuador.It is also alleged that the church funds were repaid on his behalf by friends. Casey was succeeded by Bishop James McLoughlin, who served in the post until his own retirement on May 23, 2005.
Press and popular reaction
In comparison to the far more serious crimes of other Irish priests that became known around the same time, his offence was regarded as relatively trivial. In the eyes of the Church, it was widely believed, his offence was one of "causing a scandal". To Irish public opinion, the original offence of hypocrisy had been compounded by a collective hypocrisy by the Hierarchy: this was yet another example of the "double-think" that had led to the protection of child abusers and the existence of the Magdalen Laundries.
The issue had particular resonance because Dr. Casey was popular and respected. He was seen as a progressive, a welcome change in a Galway Diocese that had been led for many years by the very conservative Michael Browne (Bishop from 1937 to 1976), was well known for both his work with Irish emigrants in Britain, and having taken the side of the Dunnes Stores' staff who were locked out from 1982 to 1986 for refusing to sell goods from apartheid South Africa. He was also a vocal opponent of US Foreign policy in Nicaragua and as a result opposed the 1984 visit of Ronald Reagan to Ireland.
General biography
Dr. Casey was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Kerry on June 17, 1951 and appointed Bishop of Kerry on July 17, 1969, a position he held until 1976. After his resignation, he went as a missionary to Ecuador and has spent his later years as a parish priest in a city on the south coast of England and as a hospital chaplain.
Return to Ireland
On January 20, 2006, it was announced that Dr. Casey would be returning to Ireland to retire. Then on January 22, 2006, Dr. Casey said that he would delay his return until his name was cleared by the Gardaí of a new allegation of improper conduct (relating to his time in Ireland). However, he returned to the Republic of Ireland on February 5, 2006 and resides in Shanaglish, Co Galway.
External references
- [link] Catholic-Hierarchy.org info on Eamon Casey
- Annie Murphy, Peter de Rosa; Forbidden Fruit - "The true story of my secret love for the Bishop of Galway" (1993); ISBN 9-780316-905732
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