Dear Steven Fry,
You are a very much loved “National Treasure” (don’t you just hate that phrase!!)
But in your case it is true, you are respected and admired by thousands, including me, In fact I have a great fondness for you, love your wit and humour , read your books, and support most of your views and thoughts.
I know that thousands of people listen to your opinions and in that way you have a great deal of influence. I am also pleased that you are a fellow Humanist and embrace that movement.
So I am saddened to hear from many of my very angry fellow Australian Survivors of catholic clergy abuse , that you went on Australian Television this week and said you thought that francis was a “ good pope” !(an oxymoron if ever I heard one!) ????
Surely this cannot be true? Hopefully this is yet another case of misquotation? Perhaps taken very much “out of context”? Maybe even “Chinese whispers”?
Surely you couldn’t possibly have fallen for the francis PR roadshow?
I know you are not a gullible man, and I know too you are honourable, so this can’t be right?
I cannot either believe you prescribe to the “Two blokes in the pub” way of forming opinions?
Do you not know what this man has been, and continues to be responsible for? I am sure you can’t otherwise you would not have made such a faux pas. It just is not like you!
My fellow survivors have asked me to point out these facts to you, and they begged me to try and get their thoughts to you personally which I will also do.
These are some of the things they want to tell you, I could add many more too! francis has MUCH to answer for - right back to Argentina!
One Survivor, a good friend of mine said this
“Fry has got to know Francis is the worst pope, he hides this evil under a caring facade. If anything I'd rather the others such as Benedict, as he just can't help to show his evil. PLUS, Francis has protected Pell in the Vatican.”
Monday August 24, 2015 Media Statement by Nicky Davis, Leader, SNAP Australia (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) Damning evidence of church/police corruption, and popes, including Francis, neglecting duty of care Evidence today at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse from retired Bishop Geoffrey Robinson delivered admissions of high level Catholic Church collusion with a former NSW police commissioner, which resulted in priests being above the law; and callous neglect of child safety by senior Vatican officials, including all recent popes. Survivors are stunned that any Bishop, even a terminally ill one, would reveal some of the truth that most church officials work so hard to conceal, but not really surprised by the contents of those revelations. Among Bishops Robinson’s revelations are: A church enforcer colluding with the police commissioner on the orders of the cardinal to obstruct and undermine our laws and ensure priests corruptly escape being held accountable for their crimes. A series of popes up to the present day unable or unwilling to protect children and more concerned with enforcing their religious rites than preventing a lifetime of suffering or even suicide death being imposed on millions of innocents around the world. Australian church officials whose priority in dealing with these crimes is PR, hiding evidence from scrutiny and avoiding scandal, with zero consideration to the harm suffered by victims and our families, and almost zero concern for protecting additional children from harm. A very high level Vatican meeting on abuse in 2000 largely featured those with minimal or no expertise in this area, and which exposed a serious lack of appropriate responses to these crimes. Bishop Robinson’s evidence supports the position of SNAP in 2014 that questioned the suitability of declaring JPII a saint, when as pope he enjoyed more than a quarter of a century of absolute power and extreme wealth, yet lifted not a finger to prevent or assuage the suffering of millions of sexually violated children. Today’s evidence also informs the question of whether anything has actually changed under Pope Francis’ rule, and whether anything is likely to change in the near future. Unfortunately based on Bishop Robinson’s evidence the answer to both is no. Today’s evidence will hopefully raise serious questions about the need for more detailed investigation into these many crimes and their cover up than the Royal Commission can provide, and the need to reconsider the suitability of the Catholic Church and other abusive institutions to provide social services to vulnerable populations, or receive taxpayer funding.
I could go on!
I could go on!
So please Steven, if you really want to know how "good" this PR pope is- talk to us, or better still listen to us!
PLEASE don’t be added to the list of people who are taken in by the marketing hype of the smily faced snake in the vatican!
You are in a position to say so much to so many, I do not believe you would want to damage those many people who have already been so badly damaged.
You, along with Chris Hitchens admirably and forcibly won the debate when you opposed the motion “The catholic church is a force for good”
You knew it was not then, and it IS not now, nothing has changed. This man is NOT what he seems - PLEASE make sure you get this one right. It matters so very much to so many of us.
I do not want to take you off my list of heros!
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