Rónán Mullen (Independent)

To clarify, I did not compare Senator O'Toole to a clown. He is far from a clown. Rather, I compared him to a clever man who uses the catch cries of the clown. There is an important distinction. I have great respect for both Senator O'Toole and Senator Norris.

We are all glad the Vatican has made clear not only that it was unaware of this man's unacceptable views but also that he may hold no post as a prelate unless he renounces those views. The lesson from all this is that it is good to presume good will because good will is generally what is there. There may be another lesson, namely, that if the media coverage had brought out the nuances of this story in advance, we might not have had much of the commentary that took place in various parliaments and in the media.