Sinead O'Connor and Catholic Church Child Abuse

Ms. O’Connor was right all along; we just weren’t ready to listen.

Sinead O’Connor tears up photo of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live (Image from Wikipedia)

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA.) - Sinead O'Connor, Irish singer-songwriter, artist-musician, political activist and troubled soul died on July 26, 2023, at age 56.

When I think of the late John Paul II, I remember his tepid response to child abuse, showing more concern with the effect the scandal was having on the church than the effect on the children.

Sure, Priests betrayed their vows, but he showed little concern about betrayals of the trust that a child has for their priest.

And I remember the 1997 letter from the Vatican warning Ireland's Catholic bishops not to report all child-abuse cases to the police. The letter is described as the "smoking gun" showing that the church enforced a worldwide culture of covering up crimes by pedophile priests.

The letter was signed by the late Archbishop Luciano Storero, Pope John Paul II's diplomat to Ireland.

Finally, I remember Sinead O'Connor on Saturday Night Live in 1992 when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II. And her March 2010 open letter to Pope Benedict criticizing the Catholic Church's role in, and initial coverup of, the child abuse in Ireland.

She was castigated at the time, but Ms. O’Connor was right all along; we just weren’t ready to listen.

RIP Ms. O'Connor.