Another vatican invasion!

pope in the USA!

As the smiley faced vatican snake and his minions invade the USA today, I am sending love to all my brave clergy abuse survivor friends over there, 
and the love and support of the TWENTY THOUSAND people who marched in London in protest against the last incumbent invading OUR country!

It was a life changing event for me, to see how many of my fellow countrymen and women came out in absolute revulsion of that visit, I have never seen anything quite like it. I was terrified but very honoured to make the rallying speech to begin that amazing  march, and they dedicated it to the survivors of catholic clergy abuse!

But we came for many reasons - in solidarity against the vatican’s appalling attitude to LGBT rights, especially as Benedict had said that “Homosexuality was as damaging to the World as destruction of the rain forests!! (WTF!)

Didn’t Sir Ian McEllen  put our thoughts about  that  so beautifully!

We came to protest at their dreadful and ignorant attitude towards women and their rights- Who could forget Kate Smurthwaite’s  “delicate" refrain :

“Get your rosary’s off our ovaries”! or the “gentle” melody  “Keep your hands off our eggs-Benedict”!

We also came as taxpayers, incensed that we should be expected to pay for this pantomime, and for rolling out the red carpet for such hypocrites and criminals.

There were many people to thank for that day, the wonderful Peter Tatchell as always, and many more,  in fact everyone who marched and contributed.There had been much  planning and organising I am sure.

BUT the man who made this all possible was the wonderful, beautiful and humble Marco Tranchino, I wonder if he realises how he helped to change the World? He certainly changed mine! 

As the last pope flew into our country to be feted and grovelled to he had the nerve to say that he felt he was “flying into a moral wasteland”!!!

And one of our very creative banner makers had the perfect answer to that!

"Nobody Came"

Just back from a week on Jersey! Beautiful island, and one we have been visiting for thirty years.

Gez booked this as a sort of “rest cure” for me after being so poorly!

Needless to say we had a great time, good food, great weather lots of walking with Buddy and wonderful scenery.

But don’t worry I am not going to show you my holiday snaps or bore you with all of the details!

I am mentioning it because even on holiday the childhood abuse issues never leave me.

I was chatting to two elderly Jersey born  ladies near the beach one day, and after they told me how fed up they were with the freezing in pensions and the rent increases etc. the subject turned to childhood abuse.

Hardly surprising when there has been a lot of dreadful abuse history on that island, specifically in the children’s home  “Haute de la Garenne” and and the  “Sacre Coeur” orphanage.

The ladies did not know anything about me or my involvement with this cause, so it was good to listen to unguarded reports from local people who know a lot more than the media

They told me that it was “common knowledge” that certain “celebrities went over to the island and abused children, that it was “well known” that the nuns were prize bitches and were cruel and abusive to the children, and the priests sexually abused them.They talked about children who had “gone missing” a similar story heard in  other parts of the world. They said they were terrified that their own children and grandchildren were sent to be “educated”  in certain schools because of their appalling reputation, and they told me of a book :

"NO-ONE CAME” written by Robbie Garner a survivor of these dreadful creatures, which is NOT AVAILABLE to buy on Jersey!! (one of them had discovered Amazon and so had got it that way!) They say it is banned on their Island! the implication being that there are still people who want this all covered up.

They talked about Jimmy Saville’s crimes and how he was a prolific offender on Jersey, and they said how all of this was always a very guarded and covered up affair.They mentioned other names too.

They suggested that people were only “coming forward” now after Saville because of money! And this  is a view held by many people who don’t understand why coming forward often takes decades and more often than not never happens. Money is very rarely  the catalyst, but even if it were, it would be perfectly  acceptable to expect proper redress from the criminals and their protectors that have caused lives to be destroyed. 

But It was at this point that I  had to declare myself! , what I do and why this is an erroneous and unfair  assumption. What exactly it takes to speak out and why it often takes so long, what actually has happened to that human being and why they deserve a voice.

This is one of the reasons why we survivors need to talk about our “stuff” - who else is going to set these records straight? We are, after all, the only ones who really understand the issues, although plenty of people have opinions!.

We talked for a long time, they were both mothers and grandmothers and actually quite delightful.They realised the issues were a lot more complex and difficult than they had thought, and made me promise to buy this book and tell others about it.

It was a lovely connection, and I said I would look them both up next time I was there.

This is a beautiful island, and close to my heart. But I can see how easy it would have been for predatory pedophiles to abuse children who were so isolated, and quite often in the grip of the church! Similarly I grew up in an isolated seaside community, a vulnerable child in an isolated community is always a sitting target!

I hope as survivors we can continue to shine a spotlight into these dark and sinister corners and bring all this filth out into the light where it can be seen and where decent ordinary people like these two grandmothers will feel such revulsion that they will join our cause and make these criminals pay for their crimes and make sure future children are protected. I had a good holiday!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nobody-Came-appalling-brothers-cruelly/dp/0007287968