Madam, - James Murphy asks (March 24th) whether the Vatican could sell off some of its artistic masterpieces to pay compensation for clerical child abuse. The answer is simple, and it is No. There are several reasons for this.
In the first place the works of art in the Vatican gallery are held there in a fiduciary capacity and to the best of my knowledge may not be pawned off. Secondly, in no circumstances would the Italian authorities allow masterpieces of their artistic heritage be removed from their homeland.
The Italians - normally a most accommodating people - are most inflexible in this matter. They are proud of their artistic heritage and with good reason, as it is without parallel in the world.
In the event of these masterpieces coming on the market they would most likely be purchased by some mogul such as Rupert Murdoch. Imagine the Madonna of Michelangelo's Pieta gracing page 3 of one of his publications. No, Italy will not go down our road, where religious works of art and sacred artefacts are sold off and may be found adorning bars and bordellos.
The Irish Church may have to sell property or raise funds to meet compensation claims, but the Italians - who happen to like the Irish - will not part with the works of Leonardo, Raphael, Caravaggio, etc., to bail us out of this one. - Yours, etc.
Father IGGY O'DONOVAN,
Meath Street,
Dublin 8.