Once upon a time not long ago Fine Gael leaders were even more strident in their defence of the Catholic church's "special position" within Irish life as drawn up in Éamon de Valera's 1937 constitution.
However, in the wake of the mass slaughter in the US, and the arrest of three IRA suspects in Colombia, the atmosphere in Belfast is difficult to gauge.
During evidence on the behaviour of nuns from the Sisters of Nazareth order at two Catholic church-run children's homes in Derry, the inquiry heard that children were beaten for bedwetting and had soiled sheets placed on their heads to humiliate them.
In 1970, Fitt was one of a disparate group of leaders of the Catholic community, including John Hume, Austin Currie, Paddy Devlin and the Protestant Ivan Cooper, who came together to form the Social Democratic and Labour party (SDLP).
Victims have called for Australia's most senior Catholic figure to return from Rome to face allegations made during hearings of the commission in Ballarat this week.
Thousands gathered by the Capitol reflection pool in Washington on Saturday to march, chant, and listen to speakers and performers as part of Stop Watching Us, a gathering to protest "mass surveillance" under NSA programs first disclosed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden.
But LifeNews, a Russian website known for its access to the Kremlin's security services, reported on Sunday that Kiev's forces were shelling airport building and said rebels had repulsed four "mass attacks" by Ukrainian foot soldiers and 15 tanks in the morning.
Polls suggest that, having failed to get their supporters to back the union, Labour has lost a mass of support, and could cede as many as 20 of its 41 seats to the SNP.
That is not a verdict that you are likely to hear from the Conservatives or from Labour for that matter, both of which like to appear as parties opposed to mass migration, but the Office for Budget Responsibility makes clear that it is one key factor fuelling Britain's economic recovery.
Astonishingly, ECB chairman Jean-Claude Trichet said in a press conference on Thursday that the central bank had to stick to its "doctrine" – a word closer to strict Catholic rule than to the ever changing financial markets.
Families who have been processed and released to join relatives while they wait for their court hearings still arrive in droves at the Sacred Heart Catholic church hall in downtown McAllen clutching A4 manilla envelopes containing official notices about their cases.
