Protest the Pope rally sees 10,000 march through London's streets

[marmar]

from the Guardian UK:





Day three of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Britain and it was a day for protests and anti-papists under bright blue skies in central London. Around 10,000 people took to the capital's streets for a Protest the Pope rally and march against what the organisers called "papal intolerance" and to condemn the state funding of the visit.

They came in red cardboard papal hats scrawled with the words "bigot" and "homophobe" and carrying placards, rainbow flags, pledges of atheism and balloons made of condoms. One giant banner showing the Pope carrying a swastika was later taken down after offending many of the protesters, who went as far as complaining to the police officers lining the route of the march to Downing Street.

Although a good-natured crowd, the force of feeling against the presence of Pope Benedict in the UK was clear in the messages condemning his stance on homosexuality, the use of condoms, segregated schools, women's rights and, most of all, the child abuse scandal for which so many hold the pontiff personally responsible for both accelerating it and then covering it up.

"He is a symbol of all that is wrong with this terrible church, but he is more than that, he is also steeped in guilt at the cover-up," said Paul Stevens, a 35-year-old lawyer on the march with friends in exuberant "leftover gay pride suits". The first speaker to the rally was Sue Cox, 63, who was abused by a priest as a young girl and who told the crowd: "All I have ever experienced from the Catholic church is fear, disgust, lies and shame."

She concluded her speech by warning the Vatican that they would no longer be able to get away with overlooking clerical sex abuse. "We will continue to watch and shout out and work towards change. This is not over," she said. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/18/pope-benedict-xvi-protest

[amyrose2712]

1. ...

[CountAllVotes]

2. uh huh ...

... too.

[ZombieHorde]

3. Wonderful news. Nice to see people stand up for what is right. nt

[ladjf]

4. How much longer will the people of the World tolerate the criminality

of the Catholic Church? nt

[lunatica]

5. I really believe we're watching the last throes of the Catholic Church

at least the way it's structured now. After centuries of iron control over the masses they're now losing their grip. And the fact that we can sit anywhere in the world and read about this on the internet is pivotal in their demise.

People may learn that their belief in a God doesn't depend on the Church or on self appointed spokespeople for that God. It's obvious the Church is a dinosaur and evil to boot. Evil to the core since the cover ups and enablers go to the very pinnacle. It seems the Church has always done far more harm than good.