IRELAND
Irish Independent
09 MAY 2013
Moral crusaders must maintain impeccable standards or risk being outed as sanctimonious phoneys – and nothing damages a cause like hypocrisy. This is neither canon nor criminal law, but the law of common sense.
When Cardinal Sean Brady sets himself up as a moral authority, lecturing TDs on their duties as lawmakers and Catholics on their obligation to oppose abortion legislation, naturally his credentials are relevant.
In theory, his role as the Catholic Church’s Primate of All Ireland should mean his voice is an influential one in the abortion debate.
But Cardinal “I was only following orders” Brady has feet of clay: a handicap so conspicuous that it renders him unfit to sermonise on ethics.
This man is compromised irreversibly by his role in the hierarchy’s culture of silence and cover-up over clerical child abuse. He lacks credibility, which means his views – even where sincere and valid – have a currency shortfall.
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