I am still quite bemused why Premier christian radio still phone me up for comments when there is yet another ridiculous and in this case, quite offensive, PR stunt coming from the vatican.They are talking of course of the pope's insulting idea to meet with "victims"
Interviewer" What do you think about the popes statement that he is prepared to meet with half a dozen "victims"
Me: "Utterly ridiculous, another in a long line of meaningless PR stunts"
Interviewer: " What good do you expect to come out of such a meeting?"
Me: None whatsoever, apart from whatever publicity the vatican can muster for themselves , it will do NO good to survivors, and can only benefit the vatican"
Interviewer : What do you think of the pope likening child abuse to performing a black mass"
Me: I wonder which century he thinks he is living in"
Interviewer :"But don't you think his likening it to satanic practice significant?"
Me:" I would be happier if he recognised that the rest of the world view it as a crime against humanity!"
Interviewer:" What else could he do?
Me:" Everything he has been TOLD to do by hundreds of lawyers, thousands of survivors loads of activists and now TWO U.N. committees! Simple!"
Interviewer:" He did say there would be zero tolerance for clergy abusing children"
Me:"So what does he want brownie points for catching up with everyone else! There isn't a decent person on the planet who would suggest anything but zero tolerance!"
Interviewer: "Don't you think it is good that he is "reaching out" ?
Me: "Reaching out! reaching out! what are you talking about! When hundreds of thousands of clergy abuse victims have been SCREAMING OUT for decades? and they have been dismissed, disregarded, lied about, abused over and over again! What the hell do they know about "reaching out"! We don't want them to "reach out" we want them to be held to account!
Interviewer: "What would you say if you were invited to go?"
Me: NO !
Interviewer:"But if you were invited what would you say to the pope?"
Me: It wouldn't happen because I wouldn't go!"
Interviewer : But just imagine you did go?"
Me: I cannot imagine anything worse, I simply would NOT be there!
Interviewer: ":But there will be some victims who will go"
Me:" Yes you are absolutely right, there will be some hand picked "victims" who are still in the grip of the church, or naively imagine they have some clout, but they will be used and abused again,even if we ever get to know who they are! and they will remain just that -Victims
You would not catch a SURVIVOR going anywhere near them!
Interviewer : Well thank you very much for taking the time to tell us your thoughts"
Me: "My pleasure"
Me: Away from the radio "What the f... do they still ring me for? I never say anything they want to hear!
And which part of "We won't dance to the tune of this narcissistic criminal organisation" do they not understand?
I am being told that "victims" are divided about this visit!
Well "victims" may be SURVIVORS are not!
