Protest The Pope

There are many good reasons to oppose the Pope's state visit in September. This is a man who insists that populations devastated by HIV and AIDS should abstain from using condoms; a man who regularly makes hateful pronouncements about the 'sin' of homosexuality; a man, lest we forget, who has become personally embroiled in the scandal over Fr Hullerman, the German priest who sexually abused children - and a man who is now facing growing criticism over accusations that the Vatican tried to cover up these and many other abuses all over the world.

So far we've heard tales of abuse by Catholic priests in America, Brazil, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. The Pope has strenuously denied any involvement in a cover-up. But according to an investigation made for the BBC's 'Panorama', in 2001, the then Cardinal Ratzinger (aka 'The Enforcer') issued an edict to all Catholic bishops, recommending that instead of reporting abusers to the police they report them to the Vatican and encourage the victims to take an oath never to talk about the abuse they suffered. The instructions said: 'Cases of this kind are subject to the pontifical secret'. The Cardinal proposed that if the victims broke their oath, they should be excommunicated.

As Peter Tatchell suggests out: 'If anyone else was involved in protecting paedophiles from prosecution, they'd probably be arrested as accomplices to sex crimes, not lauded with a state visit. Why should the Pope be treated any differently?'

It's a question many people are asking themselves. Opposition to the Pope's visit is growing. There are new groups springing up on Facebook every day, from 'Keep The Pope Out Of England' to 'The Pope Can Kiss My LGBTQ-Friendly Butt'. Some have a few hundred members, others up to 12,000 or more.

And it's not just non-Catholics who are kicking up a fuss. The noted Swiss Catholic theologian, Fr Hans Kung, has accused the Pope of 'co-responsibility' for the cover-up of child sex abuse and criticised his recent 'apology'. Kung urged: 'In the name of truth, Joseph Ratzinger, the man who for decades was mainly responsible for the concealment of these abuses at a world level, should have pronounced a mea culpa'.

There's even a website (www.countmeout.ie) for Catholics wishing to renounce their faith in light of the child sex abuse scandal. So far almost 9000 people have registered. This was brought to my attention by 'Ian', who grew up gay and Catholic in Ireland in the '80s and '90s (and wishes to remain anonymous to spare his family's feelings).

He told me: 'I just realised that I'd reached my limit, so I told my family that I was going to formally leave the Church. My mother understood why I was doing it. She didn't even attempt to defend the Pope or the Vatican. I filled in the forms at the Count Me Out website and sent them to the Dublin Dioceses. I recognise there are good people working in the Church, but I believe the organisation is fundamentally flawed and I no longer wish to support it in any way. It's a strange but liberating feeling. It's like breaking up with a boyfriend that you once thought you were going to grow old with.'

A coalition has begun, under the name 'Protest The Pope'. They held their first demonstration on Palm Sunday at Westminster Cathedral. Fifty protesters from humanist, secular, women's and gay organisations accused the Pope of 'covering up child sex abuse by Catholic clergy', calling him a 'protector of paedophile priests' and 'an accomplice to sex crimes.' They demanded: 'The Pope must resign' and 'Prosecute the Pope for collusion with sex abusers.'

Whatever the truth of Ratzinger's involvement, the protests are likely to continue.

Visit www.protest-the-pope.org.uk for more information.