A public apology can make or break public sentiments towards well known public figures, be they philandering spouses caught with their pants down, corrupt officials caught with their hands in the cookie jar, or like in recent news… sneaky little clerics asking for special gifts from the President.
An apology can elicit sympathy… or expose you for the creepy little rat that you are. Thus, scripting the perfect apology letter has become something of an art-form.
To adapt to the varying needs of Catholics all over the world, Pope Benedict XVI has revised the Vatican's position on secularism, releasing his latest catechism, Contextual Secularism in a Changing World.