Danny Morrison--"No Pope Here"

[CoolOnion]

No Pope Here
by Danny Morrison
http://www.dannymorrison.ie/articles/nopope.php

(snip)
Various historical and political repercussions have been attributed to John Paul II’s papacy, not least that his visit to his homeland, Poland, in 1979, when millions turned out to hear him and got a sense of their real strength, provided the impetus to the Solidarity trade union movement and the eventual downfall of communism.

That same year Cardinal O Fiaich announced that the Pope would be visiting Ireland from Saturday 29 September until Monday 1 October.

(snip)

At the time I was firmly convinced that neither the British nor Irish governments, nor sections of the Catholic hierarchy, wanted him to visit the North. Firstly, this was a state whose proud badge was, ‘No Pope Here’. A visit would have presented a security nightmare given the likelihood of Paisley-led protests (Paisley had only recently topped the poll in the first European elections), and the possibility of riots, or worse. Loyalist protestors would have exposed themselves as narrow-minded bigots at a time when the thrust of both British and Irish government propaganda was to hold the Republican Movement responsible for all violence.

(snip)

Pope John Paul II on his knees begged republicans “to turn away from the paths of violence and to return to the ways of peace. You may claim to seek justice,” he told us. “I, too, believe in justice, and seek justice… Further violence in Ireland will only drag down to ruin the land you claim to love and the values you claim to cherish.”

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

http://www.dannymorrison.ie/articles/nopope.php

[Moderator]

1. CoolOnion

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source.


Thank you.


DU Moderator

[nightfire]

2. Morrison seems to be saying there is, like 'senseless violence,'

such a thing as 'senseless calls for peace," when the calls for peace are utterly one-sided, as they so often are and certainly were in this case. A worthwhile, if controversial, point to make.

[fedsron2us]

3. Old hatreds run deep

Protestant soccer fans in Scotland refused to honor a minutes silence in memory of the Pope.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7454505/