Maureen Dowd has singled out Irish Archbishop Diarmuid Martin as a "hero" in an Easter week which has seen very few heroes emerge from the Vatican.

She'll probably get in more trouble for also recommending that a "sexorcist" be called in to the Church.

But there is something rotten in the State of Catholicism.

The Papal silence about the wave of sex abuse scandals which have washed over the Catholic Church speaks volumes.

The Vatican clearly thinks it's more important to protect the institution than the people who believe in it.

Just for the record, here's what Martin said in his Easter homily.

“There is no shortcut to addressing the past...This has been a difficult year. We see how damaging failure of integrity and authenticity are to the body of Christ. Shameful abuse took place within the church of Christ. The response was hopelessly inadequate.”

As Dowd says in her column, the only fitting response to Martin is Amen.