Church told Casey 'deserves' invite to papal visit mass
Tuesday September 28 2004
A CAMPAIGN is under way to invite former Bishop of Galway Eamonn Casey to a 25th anniversary mass to commemorate the papal visit.
Bishop Casey was the principal architect of the youth mass which attracted a crowd of 250,000 to Ballybrit racecourse in September 1979.
It was one of the highlights of the papal visit to Ireland and is readily recalled for the memorable words spoken by Pope John Paul in his address on the occasion: "Young people of Ireland, I love you."
Deputy Mayor of Galway, Cllr Padraic Conneely, said he believed that it would be wrong, given Dr Casey's involvement in the memorable event, not to invite him back to Galway for the anniversary mass.
He said: "It is not just my view that the success of the youth mass at Ballybrit was largely due to Bishop Casey. He was the main organiser and the central figure in making it such a success.
"But a lot has happened since then and there is little point in dwelling on it and it is now a time to put the past behind us and move on. I believe that this would be an ideal way of doing that and I think he should be in Galway for the anniversary mass - at the very least, the Catholic Church should invite him to attend."
A spokesman for the Bishops' Conference said it was up to Bishop Casey to decide whether not to attend the anniversary mass.
"Bishop Casey has been back to Ireland numerous times in recent years and this is a decision for himself."
As recently as last May, Bishop Casey was at the mass for the late human rights campaigner, Fr Niall O'Brien, who became famous in the 1980s as one of the 'Negros Nine' who were wrongfully imprisoned in the Philippines.
Bishop Casey disappeared from Ireland in 1992 after it emerged that he had fathered a child with an American woman, Annie Murphy.
His son, Peter, wanted his father to acknowledge him and Bishop Casey fled Ireland as the story was about to break in the media.
He lived for several years in Ecuador and has been based in England in recent years, performing parish duties.
He is currently living in the village of Staplefield, near Brighton.
Bishop Casey has not been back to Galway for any public event since he left, although he has been back in Ireland for a small number of private events, but there has been a growing belief in the West that the time is now right for him to return to Galway.
Dr Casey gained unwanted publicity last April when he was banned for 12 months after being convicted of drink-driving. He had previously been convicted of a similar charge in London in the mid-1980s and subsequently apologised for his actions.
- Brian McDonaldand David Quinn
