18 February 2010 Edition
Bishops in the dock
18 February 2010
One by one this week, the 24 Irish bishops called to the Vatican appeared before what was, in essence, a tribunal including cardinals and other senior church officials and, for a lot of the time, Pope Benedict himself. Each had to explain what happened in his diocese and how he intended dealing with the outcomes. Then each faced comment and analysis by the Vatican's representatives. Free article