A cold cynicism lies behind this tearful apology

Any hope of getting the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, or any of the other orders involved to contribute any compensation to the women they enslaved and abused is illusory.

There was no slip to acknowledge the liability of the state for the abuse and enslavement of these women.

The Sisters of the Good Shepherd religious order, which administered the Magdalen Laundries here, was founded by a French nun, Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, in 1835.

The professed ethos of the order is: "Approaching each person as Christ does, with compassion, gentleness, acceptance and respect; awakening, in those wounded by life's circumstances, a deep sense of their infinite worth and dignity as persons and instilling in them a hope for the future."

Aside from ...