Tony Benn's diaries are an inspiration to be courageous

This morning BBC Radio 4 replayed Tony Benn reading from his diaries. It will be continued tomorrow morning.

He is a genius. He describes visits of his grandchildren and falling asleep while he is babysitting.

But he also has the courage to criticise the leadership of the Labour Party and he does it in such wonderful words. And remember it was the Labour Party he loved. He saw the party as being hijacked by career opportunists. He speaks about incompetent leaders.

Listening to him would give one the confidence to criticise, to criticise aspects of leadership within the Catholic Church in Ireland.

What in God's name would Tony Benn have had to say had he been a member of a religious order or diocese in the Catholic Church in Ireland?

What would he have said about their methods of communication, their expertise at cutting people down, ignoring those who disagree with them?

Alas, it's too late to ask him. But his words will surely give people courage. And what at all would he say about the phoney silence? All the phoniness. The incompetency.

It's heartening to remember what his mother told him: "Kings are rulers, prophets are teachers."

Prophets in the Irish Catholic Church?