Casey still unable to say Mass in public

Former bishop of Galway Dr Eamon Casey is still awaiting permission from the Vatican to say Mass in public, two years after his return to live in Ireland.

Neighbours of Dr Casey (80) in the south Galway village of Shanaglish are believed to be concerned at the Vatican's delay, given that a Garda investigation into allegations made against the former bishop found that there was no case.

The decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions in August 2006 had come as an "utter and absolute relief" to Dr Casey at the time.

A separate internal inquiry by the Catholic Church into allegations made by a woman living in Britain in November 2005 was expected to take a matter of weeks.

The 13 allegations had concerned incidents which the woman claimed had taken place in Ireland more than 30 years ago.

The woman had made similar unproven claims against others in the past, and was reported to have suffered ill health in recent times.

Dr Casey returned to Galway in February 2006, some 14 years after his resignation over revelations that he had fathered a son, Peter, and had used diocesan funds to make financial payments to the boy's mother, Annie Murphy. He was invited by Bishop of Galway Dr Martin Drennan to take up residence in the parish house in Shanaglish, as the community had lost its priest in a collision at a rail crossing in Oranmore several years before.

Since then, Dr Casey has been precluded from involvement in public ministry.

He can, however, say Mass at home in private.

Parishioners in Shanaglish, who did not wish to comment publicly, have expressed a wish that the Catholic Church would allow Dr Casey to participate fully.

"There is a shortage of priests, we all know that, and why continue to punish the man?" said one resident to The Irish Times.

Dr Casey recently attended the funeral of writer and philosopher Dr John O'Donohue in Co Clare.