One of the funniest episodes of Fr. Ted involved teaching Fr. Jack to answer any difficult question he might face from three visiting bishops with the universal phrase
“That would be an ecumenical matter.”
Fr. Ted loved the idea saying,
“That’s the great thing about Catholicism, it’s so vague, nobody really knows what it’s about.”
Bertie Ahern adopted the same strategy recently when questioned about the secret deals he did with the Independents.
“They’re political agreements” or in Fr. Ted speak, “That would be a political matter.”
When asked did he give anything special to the Independents he brought vagueness to an extreme.
“No, these are, but important issues that people lobby for them, you know, sometimes things are in the National Development Plan and are at the end of National Development Plan and people lobby for them and that’s the norm that every politician elected or that supports a government department does.”