US scandal offers us a stark insight

Whether it has been the growth of organised crime, the drug culture, or the breakdown in social values here in recent years, there was a preview of what was to come in the United States.

Both countries are finally facing the problems of clerical abuse, and we may well be getting an insight into what is likely to happen here before long.

Cardinal Bernard Law is currently under intense pressure to resign his position in the midst of the growing scandal, following the release of documents last week detailing a frightening level of clerical sexual abuse in the archdiocese. The cardinal has already been advised to file for bankruptcy, because of the scale of likely damages being sought.