A woman has filed civil proceedings against Bishop Eamon Casey, who scandalised Ireland in the 1990s after it was revealed he had fathered a child.
The woman, from Limerick, has initiated proceedings against Bishop Casey, who is now 88, suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and living in nursing home in County Clare.
A summons has been issued on both Bishop Casey, and the Bishop of Limerick, Dr Brendan Leahy, in his representative capacity as the current head of the diocese.
Bishop Casey was based in Limerick from 1955 to 1960, when he served at St John’s Cathedral as a curate.
Records show that Bishop Leahy, on behalf of the diocese, has entered an appearance in the case but has not yet filed a defence.
In all, four plaintiffs have launched proceedings involving Limerick diocese.
In a separate instance, in 1992, the news broke that Bishop Casey, who was Bishop of Kerry, had fathered a child and that the child’s mother was the bishop’s third cousin, Annie Murphy.
Their affair started in 1973 and the child was born in 1974, but the bishop denied he was the father until 1992.
Bishop Casey was subsequently driven from office and was refused permission to say Mass.
He spent a long time in enforced exile in South America and later in Britain.
He later made belated efforts to patch up the relationship with his son, Peter Murphy.
In 2013, Peter Murphy broke his long silence over his father and his relationship with him.
Three years ago it was reported that Annie Murphy was living in California.
Sources
- Irish Times
- Irish Central
- Irish Central
- Image: BBC