No word from Pope after misogyny speech

MARY McAleese says she has received neither acknowledgement nor reply to a letter she wrote to Pope Francis after the Vatican barred her from speaking in Rome.

The former president said she has yet to get an explanation behind the Vatican’s decision, although is sure the letter was delivered to the pontiff as it was sent by diplomatic bag.

The annual Voices of Faith’ conference, held last week on International Women’s Day, takes place in the Vatican but it was moved to another location after Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell requested Mrs McAleese and two LGBTQ advocates not to take part.

Mrs McAleese was the keynote speaker at the re-located forum where she described the Catholic Church as a ‘primary global carrier of the toxic virus of misogyny’.

She went on to describe the Church’s attitude to women as ‘ludicrous’ and one that ‘has kept Christ out and kept bigotry in’. A poll on last night’s Claire Byrne Live on RTÉ revealed that almost eight in ten people agree with her views.

Yesterday, Mrs McAleese defended her speech and called on the Church to build a strategy to include women, despite the bar on female priests.

She described Pope Francis as ‘not a great strategist’ and a ‘very spontaneous, almost scattergun person’.

Although they are traits considered ‘disarming and lovely’, she added: ‘We’re beyond the point where that is enough.’