... to Protest the Pope?

[stubbornhubby]

A friend of mine told me at the weekend that this will make me an extremist...anyway we had a long thread about this in July and a few people said they'd be keen, like me, to wave a banner as he parades around the country.

There's a big march in London on Sat 18th, Hyde park Corner @ 1.30pm
details here
www.protest-the-pope.org.uk/

Also, if you live in SW London, a Small demo in Strawberry Hill on Fri 17th @9am. (NB official visti website says you will not be able to see the pope arrriving/departing SMUC - I think he must be using helicopter. Or apparating )

oh well, hairy. Maybe next time?

Domestic: sorry, didn't see your message until this morning, but I doubt we'd have been able to find each other in such a big crowd. I couldn't believe the turnout and was really pleased so many young people there. Really glad I went.

i was there... 11,000 people! I was so proud.

It was great wasn't it. It seemed absolutely massive to me: we practically were at Piccadilly Circus when they told us the back of the march had just left Hyde Park.

Some fantastic placards. I'm a particular fan of the one which said "Abstinence makes the church grow fondlers", and the Father Ted ones ("Careful Now!" "Down with this sort of thing!). I was the one waving the Geoffrey Robertson book- if anyone hasn't read it it's here. Well argued, and deeply depressing. Someone marching by me told me that he had finished reading the book at 5am this morning, and immediately decided to join the march.

Media coverage diabolical though. Why am I surprised?

We were just behind the Father Ted one and it made us laugh too. My favourite placards were:
'I'd rather tough myself than little children'
'Some people are gay: get over it'.

I was proud to be there too and proud to live in a country where his could be done.

Did you see the woman with the pictures of the young girl in a white dress on her placard? I heard her later on the radio saying she'd been raped between the ages of 6-11 by two clerics, one Cof E and the other RC. The Anlgican was in prison. The Rc had been moved to another parish and was still free. The Vatican wouldn't talk to her and all she could do was, as she said, march on the street looking for justice

That would be touch

Yes I did see her Jenny60. She seemed so young.

the guardian said it was the biggest march against a modern Pope anywhere, at any time

That's one good thing that came out of the visit.

I saw that woman as well, very brave. I also spotted Sir Ian McKellen marching in the crowd.

I liked 'Papa don't preach'.