The Papal Nuncio has been summoned before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Oireachtas. The chairman of the Committee, Michael Woods, said what will be discussed is the “general relationship with the Vatican state and the nuncio’s role here, including the issues that arose in connection with the Murphy report”.

Michael Woods will have to thread carefully. He is seen as being too close to the Catholic Church and if he gives the slightest hint that he is favourably disposed towards the nuncio he will face all the usual accusations of being 'deferential' towards the Church. Remember, Church-bashing is the new Brit-bashing and to be in any way pro-Church in the present climate is like being a 'West Brit' of the days of yore.

The nuncio doesn't have to appear before the committee but if he does he will be grilled about why his office and the Vatican did not respond directly to the Murphy Commission when the Commission requested information relevant to its work.

The Irish Times reports today that the Vatican failed to respond to queries from the Commission. But that isn't true. The Vatican simply asked that the Commission go through diplomatic channels. For some reason the Commission failed to do that .

When the Murphy Report was published, Brian Cowen told the Dail he believed the Vatican had acted properly. He was roundly attacked over this and even his patriotism was called into question. As I say, in days gone by if you had a good word to say about Britain, your patriotism was also called into question. The one-eyed nationalist really had been replaced by the one-eyed 'liberal'.

If the nuncio does appear before the Committee in the present climate of Church-bashing, what awaits him? Ritualistic humiliation I suspect.

Ironically, the person inviting him to appear is Alan Shatter. I say ironically, because Alan is only too aware of how the Foreign Affairs Committee can humiliate and harangue an ambassador when it's in the mood. I'm referring of course to the Israeli ambassador who was berated by members of the Committee when he appeared before it when Israel invaded the Gaza Strip. Alan was very defensive of the ambassador on that occasion.