David Cameron apology points way for Pope Benedict and BP

Posted on Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 12:33 AM

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What's in an apology?

David Cameron's apology for Bloody Sunday has struck a deep nerve in Northern Ireland.

Nationalists embraced it, even cheered him in their thousands as they listened to his speech.

The heartfelt nature of the apology, the fact that it came after an exhaustive investigation and Cameron's straightforward declaration that the British Army had done grievous wrong made the apology utterly acceptable.

Contrast it with the Pope Benedict's apology for the rampant child child sex abuse carried out by many Irish priests which he also delivered to the Irish people.

The response was lukewarm to say the least. Unlike Cameron who showed with both words and deed that he was serious, Pope Benedict was clearly attempting a damage limitation exercise rather than directly confronting the massive problem his church had created.

The Irish public saw through that and opinion polls revealed them as very skeptical of the pope's words.

The difference is that most Irish firmly believe that the church is still hiding much of the abuse and are refusing to hold any further inquiries.

The British government on the other hand spent $300 million on an exhaustive investigation and spent 12 years documenting every possible aspect of what happened on Bloody Sunday.

So apologies have to be accompanied by good deeds, what Aristotle called acts of good authority.

Likewise with BP, we see the apology of the chairman for the Louisiana oil spill but no acts of good authority to accept blame or put things right until they were absolutely forced to.

Like Cameron, previous British Prime Minister Tony Blair made a public apology to the Irish people, that time for the Irish Famine and Britain's shameful neglect at the time.

That too was seen as a great act , because Blair had shown with his work on the peace process that he was utterly committed to solving the Irish question.

Strange to say, but the pope and BP could learn a lot from David Cameron and Tony Blair about how to apologize and mean it.

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24 comments

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glorybe1929 | Jun 21, 2010, 11:54 AM EDT

The apologizies from all these people are one thing and the Pope is another. He happens to head the largest contingency of Religious Christians since the beginning of Christianity. For this church(?) to have committed so many atrocities since it's inception in the the beginning, is what no apology can affect. It is a faux church run by man(THE DEVIL) using the Lord Jesus Christ for it's own selfish purposes. They don't wish or want to apologize to anyone, as this is their "M O". Get it? You've been had by generational brainwashing. You know now, so get out while you still have your soul. Other wise you will be convicted of "driving the get-a-way-car in these "CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY"

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Sparklet | Jun 21, 2010, 10:58 AM EDT

The wrongs of the past 800 years can never be put right. So people have to move on and make sure it never happens again. Bearing grudges against a whole nation is a waste of time and energy.

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Derrylass627 | Jun 21, 2010, 10:17 AM EDT

To Georgedavis & Joanhugh, yes, the pope apologised but IT WAS LUKE WARM - HE CAME ACROSS AS NOT COMPLETELY FORTHCOMING! Cameron & Blair were sincere! Don't you get it? No one is anti-Catholic - the truth will set you free, but it may piss you off. Deal with it!

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barneyjo | Jun 20, 2010, 09:10 PM EDT

David Cameron could do nothing less than he did. He would have been condemned in the Court of world opinion had he not acknowledged the findings of the Saville Commission in the way he did. Equally it is correct to say also that the difference between Cameron's apology and that of the Pope is stark.The litmus test of course is that the people of Derry did accept the apology proffered by a Conservative Primeminister in respect of Bloody Sunday. The Catholic Faithful of Ireland have roundly rejected the apology from the Pope in respect of Clerical Abuse. There were no signs of thousands gathered in the streets to cheer the Pontiff that I can recall.

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KathyCallahan | Jun 20, 2010, 06:33 PM EDT

Cameron broke rank and I give him credit and my respect for that...He took a big step in the right direction...I can't help wondering if Cameron is half or a 1/4 Irish like Tony Blair...I bet he has a few great...emotional Irish back stories. Track them down... 2 many usurpers and colluders hell bent on keeping the Irish udown.

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JamesMurphy | Jun 20, 2010, 05:49 PM EDT

Well, while I agree that Cameron apologized, as he should have, the country he represents is still an illegal occupier of a foreign nation. Let's not go overboard in eulogising him. As for the Church and its hierarchy, they are still in denial. What's needed is a radical house-cleaning in Rome, including an end to the centuries-old nonsense of refusing to allow priests to marry.

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Joanhugh | Jun 20, 2010, 11:45 AM EDT

It was not child abuse (only 4%) it was homosexual activity with teenage boys(81%)...still wrong and illegal but not child abuse. Are you Irish? One English apology in 800 years of abuse and you praise it. You certainly are VERY anti Catholic

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KathyCallahan | Jun 20, 2010, 09:21 AM EDT

Words and deeds must be in synch with emotions, tone of voice, gravity of the situation and timing of the apology. The Pope and BP don't pass the apology smell test. Hayward fell on his own sword otherwise known as, I am 2 big 2 fail. Obama also suffers imperceptibly from, 2 big 2 fail in the Gulf. A key component of 2 big 2 fail is duck and pass the buck. Not the buck stops here at bp or the holy see. Hayward showed no humility and shrugged off the hard and graceful work inherent in taking full responsibility. Last week Barack Obama, proclaimed, in the oval office, as if it was enough, "Let us pray" and passed the buck to god! All along the pope's actions reveal that he passed the buck to vatican attorneys, child crime victims and the Irish catholic Church. Hayward recklessly fumbled the buck because he is a

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GeorgeDavis | Jun 20, 2010, 06:38 AM EDT

Is O'Dowd totally ignorant? How come he doesn't know that the Pope has already apologized several times? Read the newspaper, O'Dowd, not just your own mediocre columns!

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