Cardinal Sean Brady says sorry over paedophile priest

Now, do you know something? My curiosity's actually been piqued by this:

Cardinal Sean Brady says sorry over paedophile priest

Of course, it's difficult to know who prepared Cardinal Brady's statement/speech, but public expressions of apology are rare from that class of people: "never admit you're wrong - it's a sign of weakness," or something. However, if we take Brady's words at face value, then they appear to express contrition.

It is, though, the response of one of those abused by Smyth after Smyth's conduct first came to light that interested me. Given my massive talents as a prodigiously gifted mediator, I can see that Brady's words have fallen on deaf ears. We have an impasse, then... Mr Madden is apparently massively skeptical of Brady's motives, and is going for blood. Is the Catholic Church likely to grant him that, in the shape of Brady's resignation?.. The plot thins.

There's too much hurt there for a simple apology to suffice, I think. "Simple apologies" are best given at the very point that the damage is caused. Those people damaged (not so much by the abuse, as by the betrayal and cover-up, I would argue), have had to build their lives on that rather shaky foundation - can you imagine how difficult they must find it to trust anybody, having faced censorship, denial and silence, when they turned to the Church to do something about Smyth?

Anyway, let's watch and see... Will Brady, upon reflection, decide to stay put, and is this apology intended to put the matter to bed, once and for all? Was this apology carefully stage managed, and not intended to lead to anything concrete for the abused? Who knows and frankly, who cares? Well, Mr Madden, for one.