The church and its 'codology'

Had Cardinal Kevin Farrell allowed former President of Ireland Mary McAleese to talk within Vatican walls it is most likely that the conference would never have received the publicity it has received. But good that he did and her message has received such attention.

What is it about the Catholic Church and preaching the Good News?

Kevin Farrell was ordained a priest of the Legionaries of Christ and later left the congregation.

The Legionaries of Christ were founded and managed by Marcial Maciel Degollado.

He sexually abused boys and young men. After his death, it came to light that he fathered six children, two of whom he is alleged to have abused.

He was feted by Pope John Paul II. He had the 'skill' of attracting large numbers of men to the congregation and was an important donor to the Vatican.

Anyone with eyes in their head would have seen that as far back as the 1970s the Legionaries of Christ was an unhealthy organisation.

Its novices and students all dressed in similar clerical clothing. They looked and acted in a silly fashion. Even down to the briefcases they carried - they all had similar ones. It was laughable. Pious pomposity. It was ridiculous in the 1970s, as it is today. A game played.

That they still exist, with their vast financial portfolio, seems strange.

The church and all its 'codology'. Arrogance too.