I have found some of the responses to Pope Francis’ letter about child abuse in the Church very odd indeed. Our own Joanna Moorhead, in a splendidly energetic and forceful article in The Guardian, asks: “How dare the Pope ask ordinary Catholics to atone for child abuse?”

Let us be clear – “atone” does not mean apologise, repent, confess. It means “make amends or reparation”. If your child breaks a neighbour’s window you may well pay for its repair. That is atonement, it is not repentance: you did not break the window but the neighbour needs and deserves to have it fixed – repair and reparation are cognate.