~ Inside Out Australia

Prophylactics, Pashing And Protesting The Pope

Local News, By Christian Taylor, 24th June, 2008

What will you be doing during the Pope’s visit to our shores? For those of you who will be in Sydney, we’ve got a couple of suggestions. You can either take part in a mass ‘kiss in’ at Taylor Square, or you can go and hand condoms out to the pilgrims, as a protest against the Pope’s stance on homosexuality, contraception and abortion.

If the condoms idea takes your fancy, join the NoToPope Coalition for their rally at Taylor Square from midday Saturday July 19. As a group you will then walk to the main event of the week-long World Youth Day celebrations – Randwick Racecourse. Rachel Evans, a spokesperson for the rally, told the Sydney Morning Herald that she expects anywhere up to 5000 people to turn out and show their disdain for the Pope and his attitudes.

“We will say to [the pilgrims] ‘Take up the campaign within the Catholic Church to promote condoms.’ We’re not planning to get into any trouble. We don’t want to condemn Catholic youth for being Catholics. We want to condemn the Pope for being homophobic and anti-condom.”

She added that the Pope’s influence contributes to 67,000 women dying every year from backyard abortions, not to mention the high suicide rate for young gay people, which is seven times the average.

Meanwhile, Pope Alice will be holding a ‘kiss in’ at Taylor Square from 3pm Saturday, July 19. Pope Alice is the creation of Brisbane artist Luke Roberts.

“I thought… a kiss in would be a perfect way of opposing [the Pope] who claims to promotes love while actually encouraging hatred,” Roberts recently told the Sydney Star Observer.

Roberts is hoping that the kiss in eventually becomes a love in. “The central idea of the event is going to be love.”

The NoToPope Coalition rally will take place at Taylor Square from midday Saturday July 19. The ‘kiss in’ happens later that day, at Taylor Square from 3pm. If you want to lend a hand organising the kiss in, contact Luke Roberts on popealice@gmail.com.