Denunciation of Pope John Paul II by Ian Paisley

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On 12 October 1988, Northern Irish politician and church leader Ian Paisley heckled and denounced Pope John Paul II while the Pope was addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Paisley had been known to denounce the Pope previously, sometimes referring to the head of the Catholic Church as the Antichrist.

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[edit] Denunciation

Shortly after the start of the Pope's speech, Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and also an MEP at the time, shouted "I denounce you as the Antichrist!" and held up a red poster reading "POPE JOHN PAUL II ANTICHRIST" in black letters. The Pope reacted with faint amusement, and continued with his address after Paisley was ejected from the auditorium.[1][2][3][4] Other MEPs threw papers at Paisley.

[edit] Varying reports

According to some reports, Paisley shouted "I denounce you as the Antichrist!" [5], "Antichrist! I renounce you and all your cults and creeds" [6] or "I refuse you as Christ's enemy and Antichrist with all your false doctrine!"[7][8]

Some reports claimed that other MEPs assisted in expelling him from the chamber [9], and that Paisley was booed and struck by other MEPs, who also hurled objects at him, leading to his hospitalisation[10][11]. The elderly Otto von Habsburg helped to wrestle Paisley out of the room. It has been reported that Paisley brought several posters with him and when a poster was snatched away, he immediately re-commenced with a new poster[12]

[edit] Aftermath

Paisley continued to denounce the Catholic Church and the Pope after the incident. In a television interview for The Unquiet Man, a 2001 documentary on Paisley's life, he expressed his pride at being the only person to have the courage to denounce the Pope.

[edit] Reaction of Paisley to death of John Paul II

After the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, Paisley expressed sympathy for Catholics stating "We can understand how Roman Catholics feel at the death of the Pope and we would want in no way to interfere with their expression of sorrow and grief at this time."[13] This was in contrast to Paisley's reaction to the death of Pope John XXIII in June 1963, when Paisley organised protests against the lowering of flags in public buildings after the death of the Pope [14].

[edit] References

  1. ^ MacDonald, Susan. "Paisley ejected for insulting Pope", The Times, 1988-10-02. 
  2. ^ Chrisafis, Angelique. "The Return of Dr. No", The Guardian, 2004-16-09 [1]. 
  3. ^ HEADLINERS; Papal Audience - New York Times
  4. ^ An amazing conversion? The Big Man makes a long journey - This Britain, UK - Independent.co.uk
  5. ^ Portrait: Ian Paisley | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited
  6. ^ World Notes RELIGION - TIME
  7. ^ Free Presbyterian Church - Dr. Ian Paisley
  8. ^ Back to the future in Northern Ireland - www.theage.com.au
  9. ^ BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | Paisley's exit from Europe
  10. ^ Billy Graham's Tragic Romeward Run
  11. ^ Free Presbyterian Church - Dr. Ian Paisley
  12. ^ Free Presbyterian Church - Dr. Ian Paisley
  13. ^ BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | NI leaders pay tribute to Pope
  14. ^ CNN In-Depth Specials - Northern Ireland

[edit] External link