diff --git a/Database/SQLite.hs b/Database/SQLite.hs
--- a/Database/SQLite.hs
+++ b/Database/SQLite.hs
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 
        -- * Opening and closing a database
        , openConnection
+       , openReadonlyConnection
        , closeConnection
 
        -- * Executing SQL queries on the database
@@ -100,6 +101,21 @@
             newSQLiteHandle db
     _ -> fail ("openDatabase: failed to open " ++ show st)
 
+-- | Open a new database connection read-only, whose name is given
+-- by the 'dbName' argument. A sqlite3 handle is returned.
+--
+-- An exception is thrown if the database does not exist, 
+-- or could not be opened.
+--
+openReadonlyConnection :: String -> IO SQLiteHandle
+openReadonlyConnection dbName =
+  alloca $ \ptr -> do
+  st  <- withCString dbName $ \ c_dbName ->
+                sqlite3_open_v2 c_dbName ptr sQLITE_OPEN_READONLY nullPtr
+  case st of
+    0 -> do db <- peek ptr
+            newSQLiteHandle db
+    _ -> fail ("openDatabase: failed to open " ++ show st)
 
 -- | Close a database connection.
 -- Destroys the SQLite value associated with a database, closes
diff --git a/Database/SQLite/Base.hs b/Database/SQLite/Base.hs
--- a/Database/SQLite/Base.hs
+++ b/Database/SQLite/Base.hs
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
        , sqlite3_progress_handler
        , sqlite3_open
        , sqlite3_open16
---       , sqlite3_open_v2
+       , sqlite3_open_v2
        , sqlite3_errcode
        , sqlite3_errmsg
 
@@ -350,10 +350,8 @@
 foreign import ccall "sqlite3.h sqlite3_open16"
   sqlite3_open16 :: SQLiteUTF16 -> Ptr SQLite -> IO Status
 
-{-
 foreign import ccall "sqlite3.h sqlite3_open_v2"
   sqlite3_open_v2 :: CString -> Ptr SQLite -> OpenFlags -> CString -> IO Status
--}
 
 foreign import ccall "sqlite3.h sqlite3_errcode"
   sqlite3_errcode :: SQLite -> IO Status
diff --git a/sqlite.cabal b/sqlite.cabal
--- a/sqlite.cabal
+++ b/sqlite.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Name:            sqlite
-Version:         0.5
+Version:         0.5.1
 Synopsis:        Haskell binding to sqlite3
 Description:
     Haskell binding to sqlite3 <http://sqlite.org/>.