Nothing to tell and a missing archbishop

People will be disappointed with the outcome of the meeting between the pope and the Irish bishops. For anyone to have expected anything else was simply fanciful dreaming. That's the way of the world, that's what governments do, that's what large powerful organisations do. Remember this meeting was held in the Apostolic Palace.

The photograph on the front page of yesterday's Irish Times of a bishop kissing the pope's hand/ring surely had to say to the Irish people that there could be no possibility of open and honest dialogue between these two men. Look at the bishop's body language and the pope's too.

And then yesterday the Irish bishops held a press conference. Remember this Rome meeting was called mainly because of the report into the Dublin archdiocese, and the Archbishop of Dublin was not at the press conference. Diarmuid Martin said he had to attend a meeting at UCD this morning.

Is that not breathtaking arrogance?