One ‘spin doctor’ who is worth watching

Dear Editor, It’s no surprise that Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández described the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in glowing terms (‘Rome Synod addresses complexity of the family’ IC 06/11/2014), since he was part of the secretariat responsible for the running of the synod and one of the authors of the final report.

Judging by the many reports and commentaries elsewhere, the synod was very different from the “peace and light” picture he suggested. What irked me was the archbishop’s demonising of those bishops with whom he has a basic disagreement. These “conservative elements”, he tells us, were “very fanatical”, “somewhat aggressive” and a “hardline minority” but reassuringly not more than 5% of the participants.

He went on to attack “the very few” for their tone, “aggressive, angry, threatening, not only within the synod but in the corridors and the street”. He must have kept a close eye on these miscreants, but then “they were very few”. Full marks for spin doctoring!

Yours etc.,

David Manly,

Foxrock,

Dublin 18.