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Recently Sydney Bishop Geoffrey Robinson wrote a book called Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church. Other bishops have been so alarmed at the prospect of a demand for a Papal apology that they have distanced themselves from Robinson. It is interesting that Robinson has been criticised for being 'uncertain'. In an age when ideological fanaticism threatens peace and well-being, a degree of uncertainty does not seem a bad thing. Besides, those who criticise Robinson have more to fear from his certainties and the undeniable truths behind his charges that the Church culture has failed to deal adequately with abuse.

The attack on Robinson might well be a pre-emptive strike. If so, then the retreat to exclusive authority could dominate Youth Day and undermine its liberating potential. If the hierarchy emphasises its claims to exclusive authority, then it appears that the Church cannot justify its existence in any other way. Authority so easily deteriorates into pragmatic power.