The remains of the late Bishop Eamonn Casey have been removed from the crypt of Galway Cathedral.
The Galway Diocese announced the development in a statement issued this morning.
It is not clear when the disinterment took place, however, the statement has confirmed that the remains are with Eamon Casey’s family.
“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 says.
A year ago, an RTÉ documentary, presented by reporter Anne Sheridan, examined the Catholic Church’s handling of allegations of sexual abuse against the former bishop.
It included an interview with Dr Casey’s niece Patricia Donovan, who claimed that her uncle first raped her at the age of five and that the sexual abuse continued for years.
The investigation also confirmed that Bishop Casey was formally removed from public ministry in 2007 by the Vatican, following child sexual abuse allegations.
That restriction continued for the last ten years of his but life but was never publicly disclosed.
Eamonn Casey alongside Pope John Paul II during the papal visit to Ireland in 1979
Bishop Casey died in 2017 and was buried in the crypt beneath Galway Cathedral following a funeral which was attended by 1600 people.
The Pope’s representative in Ireland at the time the Papal Nuncio, and many senior Catholic clergy were not in attendance.
In the documentary, Patricia Donovan described her “disbelief” over her alleged abuser being buried in the space preserved for senior clergy beneath the cathedral.
Members of the public echoed those concerns on RTÉ’s Liveline programme and through opinion polls carried out last year.
The Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora issued a statement noting “that the continued resting of the mortal remains of Bishop Eamonn Casey in the crypt of the Cathedral was a deeply felt matter that affected many people in different ways”.
It appealed for “time and space” to allow for appropriate reflection and consultation.
In the latest statement, the Diocese has thanked “everyone for their understanding of the situation, for their patience and for their respect as the 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.”
It also states that the express wish that “the arrangements made by the family for Bishop Eamonn’s final resting place remain private”.
The family has also asked for their privacy to be respected. The statement concludes that “God will continue to draw all those who have been affected by this matter into his healing love”.
Eamonn Casey is the first senior cleric to be disinterred in Ireland following posthumous concerns about his conduct.
He consistently denied all the allegations against him and was never convicted of any sexual crimes.
