Pope Francis visits Ireland: Our welcome has to be qualified

Without context a lot of what we do can seem pointless; without context, a lot of what we say can seem hollow, maybe even just emotion-fuelled raging at the dark. Some moments, some grand events, demand context and Pope Francis’ visit is one of those.

In December 2008, almost 10 years ago, this newspaper called for a bishop to resign. Bishop John Magee, like many of his peers, had put the interests of his Church before the safety of his clerics’ victims. The often-delayed Cloyne Report, published on July 13, 2011, found that Magee had lied to an earlier inquiry when he said the diocese had reported all allegations of clerical child sexual abuse to authorities. Magee stood down as administrator in March 2009. A year later he resigned and became bishop emeritus, a position he still holds.