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	Ditched by Their Pope By Anna Smith Sunday Mirror September 16, 2007 http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/columnists/annasmith/2007/09/16/ditched-by-their-pope-98487-19799045/ IF anything is to shake the McCanns' unswerving Catholic faith, it must be the Pope ditching them from the Vatican website. In their dark hours, it was faith that kept them going. They had nowhere else to go. They took their torment to the very seat of their faith - to the Vatican, where the Pope held their hands and told them he would pray for them. They seemed to gain great strength from that. But now, in their hour of need, like Pontius Pilate, he has washed his hands of them. A whiff of guilt, and the Catholic hierarchy distance themselves. And this from an organisation built on guilt and hypocrisy. This, from an organisation that for generations swept sexual abuse under the carpet, and gave shelter to paedophile priests who ruined hundreds of lives, from Glasgow to Boston to Donegal. Shame on them. Of course, the Vatican will say they constantly update their website on world events. Rubbish. This extraordinary drama will be one of the most significant events in recent history. But, like the Vatican, as much as the world seemed united in sorrow and support for Gerry and Kate, now the worm is turning. And there is a condemnation mindset creeping in that is sickening to watch. I was never comfortable with the media circus that has surrounded this tragedy. I think they were ill-advised by dubious media and PR people. I always had a feeling their highprofile campaign would come back to haunt them. I remain convinced that they are innocent. To consider any other notion would be to abandon my faith in the human race. But from early on, you could see the slick campaign didn't strike the same supportive chord with everyone. But is it not enough to live with the knowledge, as they will for the rest of their lives, that they failed their daughter by not being there when the abductor struck? Is that not punishment enough? And now we have the cynical media turning and hedging its bets. The hours have yet to get darker for the McCanns. I firmly believe there is a witch-hunt going on. Of course, none of us can prove that the McCanns were not involved in their daughter's disappearance. But what happened to innocent until proved guilty? If Madeleine WAS killed accidentally, then where did the parents hide the body? A corpse would go off in the heat in a matter of days, never mind weeks. So, are we to believe the McCanns stored their daughter's body in the freezer of their holiday apartment, then stole out in the dead of night, away from the media glare, and moved it? It's ridiculous. And, as for any DNA the Portuguese cops come up with, as far as I am concerned, all of their evidence is tainted. Portuguese police have never found the body of an eight-year-old girl who disappeared nearby in similar circumstances in 2004. Her uncle and mother were jailed for the murder, but five police officers have now been accused of forcing a confession out of them. Most of our hearts are bleeding for this couple. Their lives are ruined, no matter what the outcome. You would have thought the one lifeline they could have depended on to the bitter end would be the Catholic Church. Presumably someone has been in touch with the authorities. It wouldn't do for the Catholic Church to lose its absolute grip on a country so slavishly devout as Portugal. Rather than turn our backs on this desperate couple, it's time we all got behind them. Our politicians should step in and ask questions. I don't want to hear guarded comments from Home Secretary Jacqui Smith saying she hopes the Portuguese investigation will find Madeleine. I want her to express disgust at how the cops are drip-feeding the Portuguese media with lurid titbits for their front pages. And I hope, if charges should come, that before she allows this couple to be extradited, she makes sure they are not being stitched up so that Portugal can escape this unsavoury spotlight that history will remember them for.
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