Cardinal Daly on Tax Evasion and the Banks

national | miscellaneous | opinion/analysis Tuesday August 24, 2004 12:35 by Michael Hennigan

"one of the great scandals in modern Ireland".

The Irish Times reports that in his new book The Minding of Planet Earth, Cardinal Cahal Daly attacks systematic tax evasion by some of the State's wealthiest citizens and "to add to the shame," he said, "banks and financial institutions have been complicit in facilitating this scandalous practice."

These are laudable views but what is interesting about the parallel scandals of our times, in both religious and corporate organisations, is how similar the behavior was of those who turned a blind eye to the wrongdoing: protect the brand at all costs and the self-interest of those in senior positions. The arrogance of power was another common trait.

I recall when Cardinal Daly received his copy of a report on child abuse by priests, he did not question the failure of leadership of any of his colleague bishops.

It did strike me also when listening to a bishop on RTE Radio talking of his plans to attend the Anti-Iraq War march in Feb 2003, that while it was good to hear of a bishop showing moral leadership but such a choice is cost free compared with calling colleagues to account.