The Irish bishops' spokesman has rejected a report in yesterday's Irish Times which said nothing had been done by church authorities to facilitate the return of Dr Eamonn Casey to Ireland.
Father Martin Clarke, for the Irish Bishops' Conference, said the matter was "actively under discussion" and involved the Irish bishops, the Papal Nuncio in Ireland, the Congregation of Bishops in Rome and Dr Casey. The discussions have been taking place over the past six months.
Disputing that nothing had been done to make Dr Casey's return possible and that little had happened since the Irish bishops said last December they would be actively pursuing the matter, he suggested a more accurate account would be "nothing appears to have been done" or "nothing practical has been done."
Though not privy to the content of the current discussions, Father Clarke said that, to the best of his knowledge, they concerned "whether he [Dr Casey] should come back to Ireland, where he would live [if he did], what he would do, and his relationship with the media." He felt it was possible things might be sorted out by the autumn.
On RTE's News At One programme yesterday, Father Clarke said there was no question of any Irish bishop blocking Dr Casey from returning to Ireland "and they are certainly sympathetic to his return." He acknowledged one of the issues concerning the bishops was Dr Casey's public profile.
"No matter what way you look at the situation, the fact of the matter is that this has been a major scandal in the Irish church and it has impacted in a very big way on the credibility of the church in general and the Bishops' Conference in particular. So it is important to find a formula which doesn't further undermine - if you like - that credibility."
The Congregation of Bishops in Rome "see this as having a major impact on the health of the Irish church", he said.
It is believed church authorities are also concerned about the likely reaction of a vociferous minority opposed to Dr Casey's return. It is accepted that more than 80 per cent of the Irish people would welcome him home. What is unclear is how he, and the church, would deal with hardline opposition.
The greater number of this latter group would see the presence of Dr Casey in Ireland as a continuing source of scandal.
Another issue believed to be exercising church authorities is if Dr Casey should hold a press conference on his return. Frequent reference has been made to the effectiveness of such a course of action, with press conferences given by Bishop Brendan Comiskey and by Mr Ben Dunne after his return from his controversial escapade in Florida often quoted as examples.
Those favouring this strategy feel that, should Dr Casey give such a press conference at which all outstanding matters might be addressed, the media and public fascination with him might ease.
Meanwhile it has also emerged that Dr Casey is receiving financial assistance from the Irish Bishops' Conference.
