The Irish PM, the Vatican and Murdoch

The reaction in Ireland to Enda Kenny’s speech denouncing the Catholic church and separating it from the state has been remarkable. He touched a nerve. What he said has been greeted with enthusiasm by most Irish citizens. He has been met with standing ovations when he arrives at public functions. 

Just as the hacking affair exposed the Murdoch empire as corrupt and rotten, the sequence of reports into child abuse and its cover up in Ireland, have revealed the Vatican to be as iniquitous. 

And just as the Murdoch hold has been broken so too has the power of the church. There will be rumblings and grumbling but a line has been crossed. It is interesting to note that the PM has had ‘thousands of messages of support’ from all over the world. He said he was ‘astounded’ at the number from members of the Catholic clergy who said ‘it was about time’ that someone in his position had spoken out.