Why Sinead O’Connor Says She Ripped Up A Picture Of The Pope On Live TV

Sinead O'Connor explains her motivation for ripping up a picture of Pope John Paul II on live TV -- and how the aftermath has had a lingering effect on her life.

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When you tore the pope's picture up

on Saturday Night Live,

whose picture were you tearing up?

The pope's.

I mean what did the pope represent to you?

Interestingly, what people don't know

is that first of all,

we had already knew 10 years before you all did

about child abuse within the Catholic Church.

We had evidence.

The photo itself had been on my mother's bedroom wall

all my life.

I was genuinely very angry with what the church were doing.

By ripping that picture,

I risked my career and everything.

I could be a billionaire now if I wanted,

if I believed in that, you know what I mean?

But I don't.

But I know what you're getting at,

and yes, I didn't, this didn't occur to me

until about six months ago, it's my father.

Did you know you were gonna do it when you went on?

Mhmm.

So I had planned it for a couple of weeks.

At the very end,

I would pull out the picture of the pope and tear it up.

Silence.

Do it at the camera.

Silence.

Everywhere, it was fantastic.

So what happened afterwards?

My manager vanished for about three days.

He went to his hotel, just unplugged the phone.

About 10 years after that that I don't remember,

because that's when it became acceptable

and it became the norm that I was treated

by everyone I knew from family to everyone,

that like I was an absolutely insane, crazy person.