An apology was the very least that Martina Anderson could offer the victims offended by her ill-judged tweet but there is no doubt that this unedifying episode has been damaging to the Foyle MLA.
The former MEP and junior minister created a storm of her own making when she posted a statement on social media claiming the pension scheme was 'mainly for those who fought Britain's dirty war in Ireland'.
The tweet remained in place for a number of hours on Tuesday before it was taken down, we are told at the behest of deputy first minister Michelle O'Neill.
However, rather than drawing a line under the matter, the furore gathered momentum, not just in the north but also in the Republic where the Sinn Féin leadership has been focused on the fallout from 'golfgate' and the questionable actions of European commissioner Phil Hogan.
Amid calls for her resignation, Ms Anderson yesterday issued an unreserved apology 'for the hurt and offence caused by my tweet to people who suffered serious harm during the conflict here', adding that her comments were 'clumsy' and not intended to cause victims any hurt.
This apology was a necessary step although, in an open and mature democracy, an elected representative must go further than a written statement and face public scrutiny.
The fact that a political figure as senior and experienced as Ms Anderson could publish such a poorly thought out message that causes enormous upset and anger among those who have suffered so much and have been let down so comprehensively over decades, is deeply dispiriting at this stage of the peace process.
Politically it also sent out the wrong signal, coming only days after the High Court issued a scathing verdict on how the pension scheme for victims and survivors had been handled.
It is absolutely legitimate for Sinn Féin to point out what it sees as flaws in the legislation but Martina Anderson's misguided tweet displayed an alarming insensitivity towards the vast majority of victims - many of them injured by the IRA - who have waited too long already for the payments they are entitled to receive.
They deserve to be treated with respect and to see the pension scheme implemented as soon as possible.
