No imbalance in RTÉ debate

As a fellow participant in the RTÉ Late Debate programme last Thursday.

I would like to comment on Fr Joe McDonald’s accusation of imbalance (Mar 2).

The debate was trailed as “Good & Bad – Benedict’s Legacy”. RTE invited four panellists — two likely to speak in praise and two likely to have criticisms. That is not an anti-Catholic agenda, that is balance. Maybe Fr McDonald should check the definition of “debate”. It is the discussion of both sides of opinion on a subject, not just the one you favour. Fr McDonald complains that the child sex abuse crisis was discussed; saying “Church scandals” should have been omitted. This is despite the fact that he expressed the view, early in the programme, that this issue “is a significant topic in his papacy” and it was Pope Benedict’s papacy we were discussing!