There was a lot of moralising going on in Rome, especially from politicians over the past few days.The Pope, on the other hand, stuck firmly to politics.
The Taoiseach introduced a pragmatic note however.
He had sport on his mind and was willing to compromise, offering a little bribery in exchange for divine intervention.
But he was not going to hand over his All-Ireland ticket unless he got a guarantee of a Mayo win.
In the end, however, it’s not completely clear if he got an opportunity to make his holiness an offer, or indeed if he got to glad hand or even shake hands with Benedict XVI.
The Taoiseach was among the first into the Pontiff’s summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, arriving 45 minutes before the audience with about four prime ministers and dozens of politicians, all members of Centrist Democrats International.
The Pope arrived into the relatively small room immediately after the Angelus, looking frail. He delivered a five-minute speech, addressing the group with their old name of Christian Democrats. They dropped it years ago — possibly to accommodate some of their members in countries like communist Cuba and Muslim Albania.
The economic situation was becoming increasingly serious, he told them. They need to set new rules, and a new vision for the future. This will need more than just market logic, it will need solid ethical foundations, he told them.
He warned them that they had to act quickly otherwise, as the scriptures, say people will devise their own answers, and "wander away to myths". There was no good responding with short-term answers, it just would not work. Answers like abortion, euthanasia, eugenics and marriage other than between a man and a woman, he said.
He left them with the warning from the Book of Wisdom to the effect that "severe judgment falls on those in high places".
Perhaps this was on the Taoiseach’s mind when minutes later he found himself on the steps of the residence, in bright sunshine, consulting with his advisers.
Just the day before he assured journalists he had no reservations meeting his holiness and was not pulling back from his landmark Dáil speech, where he hung a plaque of shame around the Vatican’s neck, accusing them of complicity in the cover-up of child rape.
Whether the Pontiff had given him pause for thought or not the waiting journalists were denied an opportunity to find out. After a few minutes consulting his advisers, he was shepherded into the big blue Lancia and sped away.