Well, it's like a Kylie Minogue theme party in Irish ecclesiastical these days as every bishop does his best to spin the Pope's Letter in the best possible taste.

As people know, I'm fond of a good analogy and I did enjoy Bishop Donal McKeown's attempts to liken Cardinal Brady to a recovering alcoholic.  I'm sure the Cardinal appreciates the words of support:

“Obfuscation, making excuses, blaming the system, saying we were there but we weren’t really part of it is no way forward," he said. "It is not a particularly adult way forward and its certainly isn’t any way for church leadership to behave.”

About as supportive as Geoffrey Howe was to Margaret Thatcher. I'm glad I never had to rely on him for support.  Hang on a minute...

Meanwhile the Cardinal is distributing copies of the Pope's Letter to children - how photogenic it all is.  And welcoming it - the way you welcome the news you've got prostrate cancer.

Archbishop Martin seems to have recovered from the depression that descended on him after the Rome trip and is coming out fighting, determined to make sure every other diocese enjoys the delights of the Murphy process.  This could all end up like a remake of Hostel III.