I was greatly taken by Klaus Vella Bardon’s philippic of August 12 (‘Vilification of Benedict’) taking issue with my dim verdict on Benedict XVI’s papacy and reports of a possible Vatican schism ahead.

I was reminded of Vella Bardon’s misplaced rant after the outcome of the divorce referendum in which he asserted that “The Archbishop has been let down by the flock that is largely indolent, indifferent, uninformed and unprepared to stand up and be counted with too many placing partisan and narrow self-interest above any other consideration. This was further compounded by the constant sniping at the Church authorities by renegade priests”.

In full flood, he went on to state that the divorce campaign gave “the opportunity for anti-Catholics, pseudo-Catholics and Philistines to vent their spleen against the Church”. Well…yes. Quite rightly as it turned out, in fact.

Vella Bardon has form. This time my views on Benedict XVI as an intellectual, albeit holy man, swimming outside his political depth leads to this sweeping statement: “Repeatedly, rebellious and lapsed Catholics have done their level best to besmirch [papal] reputations. The vilification of Pope Benedict XVI is a case in point.”

I naturally respect Vella Bardon’s apologia on Benedict XVI. My verdict on him as lacklustre, weak, overwhelmed by the enormity of the Church’s sex abuse scandals, out of his depth as a global leader and unable to put into action the fine words he expressed may well be proved wrong. Only time and history will tell. But to say so is not vilification.