The debate has been going on for some time about the seal of Confession (the Sacrament of Reconciliation) in the Catholic Church. There have been calls to make it obligatory for priests, if they are told in the sacrament that the penitent is sexually abusing a minor, they must inform the authorities. This is a difficult one, since the seal of confession (the requirement that a priest can never reveal what he hears in confession) is one of the most serious obligations for any priest, and if that is compromised in any way it undermines the sacrament as we have known it.

As I write this we are three days away from the arrival of Pope Francis in Ireland for his very short visit. I have spoken at a conference in Trinity College on Monday last (Voices Pope Francis will not hear), and have done various media interviews.
I find it interesting that as the week goes on I am becoming more and more a defender of the Pope against a barrage of negativity, especially in the media commentary and from the various spokespersons for different groups.