PODGE and Rodge are not everyone's idea of a good time - a single joke gone stratospheric - but no one expected them to incur the wrath of the Catholic church. The church these days does not seem to do wrath very much, and just when the rest of us have become so fond of it. However, perhaps in the belief that the best form of defence is attack, Archbishop Se�?n Brady, in an interview with the Irish Times's religious affairs correspondent Patsy McGarry last Monday, had this to say:

"There is a growing coarseness and aggression? [in Irish society]. On the roads, in drinking, the increase in sexualisation of children at an earlier age, stress, excess generally. It is dehumanising? Do we want to have a culture of Podge and Rodge, or one of decency and respect?"

The immediate result of this was that Podge and Rodge appeared on the front page of the Irish Times. The secondary result was that a large number of people said, "Se�?n who?" This is surprising because Se�?n Brady has been the archbishop of Armagh, once surely the most powerful post in the country, for almost exactly 10 years. It is hard to believe that Tom�?s س Fiach or Cathal Daly would have been in the job for that long without being noticed by the great unwashed. These are different times.

It is not only the rabble who are a bit vague about Se�?n Brady. One parish priest in Dublin had this to say: "Never met the man. You have to remember that Dublin has no interest in Armagh. He's from outside. He doesn't impinge on our existence at all." Even allowing for the prejudice of a small, self-satisfied capital, this is a bit much, particularly as Dublin is one of the largest Catholic dioceses in Europe.

On the other hand, many of the people who read the interview with the archbishop agreed strongly with him, whether they were churchgoers or Catholics or not.

There was a furious response in some of the newspapers, the thrust of which was that the Catholic church, with its shameful history of child abuse and of hiding child abusers, was not in a strong position to criticise glove puppets who are more open about their supposed sexual preferences.

But closer observers of church politics are impressed with Brady. His speeches, they say, have sharply improved since Fr Tim Bartlett, a Belfast priest, started working with him. Bartlett has been a researcher and general assistant to the Irish Bishops' Conference for the past two years. Before that, he was a lecturer at St Mary's University College, Belfast.

More pertinently, he worked for the Northern bishops as a researcher and general assistant. He advised them on matters as politically sensitive as the reform of the RUC. In other words, he has considerable political and media experience.

Bartlett is described as "a very, very astute, sharp fella. He accompanied Brady to a recent meeting with Ian Paisley, for example."

The Catholic communications office sternly maintains that Brady writes his own speeches, thanks very much. But, whatever the reason behind the change, it is thought that the archbishop is making strong progress. First of all there is the fact that he is "a very nice fella", commentators say. "When Des Connell was around he was like a lightning rod for media hostility." Se�?n Brady is seen as a genuinely humble person. His management style is also low-key and consensus-based. "He's more a chairman than a chief, " said one man who has worked with him.

His avid interest in GAA doesn't hurt either. He played football, at half back position, for his native county Cavan at both minor and senior levels. His passion for the game remains undimmed.

Then there is the walking. Last summer, the archbishop walked up Croagh Patrick - a tough journey even for someone who lists walking amongst their hobbies. This pilgrimage was a brilliantly simple idea. Supporters of the archbishop maintain he was the first primate to climb the sacred mountain since St Patrick - and that's assuming that St Patrick did it in the first place. It is also assuming that there was a St Patrick, but that's another story. It was an inspired thing for a modern bishop of the Catholic church to do: participate in one of the most impressive Christian devotions still practised in Ireland, returning to one of the simplest and most beautiful of religious penances, at a time when mass attendances are in sharp decline.

It also emphasised what could be one of Brady's great strengths: the fact that he comes from unfashionable, rural Ireland.

His parents were small farmers, and his brother still has the farm. In his tenacious defence of the church continuing its iron grip on Catholic schools, Brady speaks from and to exactly this sort of traditional Irish Catholic background.

He also oversaw the refurbishment of the Catholic cathedral in Armagh, despite some opposition from traditionalists. "People don't realise, " said one man wearily, "that the real trouble in the church doesn't come from the liberals, it comes from the right."

In October of this year, Brady led the Irish Ad Limina pilgrimage to Rome. The Ad Limina is a gathering of bishops from round the world and this was Ireland's first for seven years - a delay caused by the long illness of John Paul II.

But on his appointment in 1996, Brady was not used to the media. When the Suing The Pope programme broke the horrific story of abuse in the Ferns diocese, back in 2002, "the bishops took five weeks to get their act together", as one observer put it. On the issue of the clerical abuse disaster, they say, Brady "has had to pick up the pieces".

One of the challenges facing the archbishop is how to maintain morale amongst the remaining working priests on the ground. The Irish Times interview included an apology from him to Fr Gerard McGinnity, a priest from his Armagh diocese. In 1984, McGinnity was removed from his job in St Patrick's College, Maynooth for siding with students in their accusations of sexual misconduct against Miche�?l Ledwith. Dr Brady has also had to deal with false accusations against working priests, who have had to stand down from their jobs in humiliating circumstances, only to be reinstated later.

It is widely thought that Se�?n Brady will "get the red hat next time out". In other words, be made a cardinal. It is believed that Diarmuid Martin, archbishop of Dublin, has been put in place to do a job - clear up and reorganise after the child abuse scandals - and that once that task is thought to have been completed that he will return to Rome.

If that happens, Se�?n Brady will be a shoo-in for the cardinal's hat. God knows what will be on television by then.

C.V.

Occupation: Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Born: 16 August 1939. Grew up on small mixed farm in Laragh, Cavan. Eldest child. One brother, one sister.

Education: Caul"eld National School, Laragh. St Patrick's College, Cavan. St Patrick's College Maynooth. Irish College in Rome.

Career: Ordained priest 22 February 1964.

Rector of Irish College in Rome. Appointed parish priest of Castletara 1993. Ordained Coadjutor Archbishop 19 February 1995.

Installed as Archbishop of Armagh 3 November 1996. President of the Irish Bishops' Conference, a Member of the IBC's Department of Planning and Communications, and a Trustee of Tr�?caire.

Hobbies: GAA, walking.

In the news because: He doesn't think that Podge and Rodge are the best.