Eamon Casey

From Freepedia

Eamon Casey (April 24, 1927 - ) born in Firies, County Kerry, is now the Roman Catholic "Bishop Emeritus" of the Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh, Ireland. He was formerly Bishop of Kerry.

The resignation of Bishop Casey, as Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Apostolic administrator of Kilfenora in May 1992 is widely regarded as the pivotal moment when the church Hierarchy lost its near de facto control over the sociology and politics of the Republic of Ireland.

He had had a long intimate relationship with an American divorcée since at least 1973 and together they had had a son. 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. He was succeeded by Bishop Emeritus James McLoughlin.

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" - meaning that he had been found out. 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). Dr. Casey was particularly well known for 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 17 July 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.


External references

Retrieved from "http://en.freepedia.org/Eamon_Casey.html"


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