Kind, gentle and devoted to duty

Cardinal Desmond Connell’s concern for the individual marks him out as a man of integrity and loyalty.

The unremitting negative reporting concerning his handling of cases of paedophilia among a small number of priests does not do justice to his steadfastness to duty.

As a caring and responsible leader, it is clear that he finds this situation as abhorrent as it is distressing. The mild and gentle, if not reserved, disposition of our cardinal does not suit our media storymongers who manage to turn his sincere apologies into self- accusations.