How Sinead O'Connor's Infamous SNL Appearance Led To A Lifetime Ban

After her performance, Sinead O'Connor spoke to Time magazine about the reasoning behind her performance — effectively pushing back against critics who suggested it was a protest of the Vatican's views on women's rights, or was rooted in personal anger at Pope John Paul II. 

"It's not the man, obviously — it's the office and the symbol of the organization that he represents," she said (per The Atlantic). She added: "In Ireland we see our people are manifesting the highest incidence in Europe of child abuse. This is a direct result of the fact that they're not in contact with their history as Irish people and the fact that in the schools, the priests have been beating the s*** out of the children for years and sexually abusing them."

According to France 24, at the time of O'Connor's performance, Irish priests had yet to face scrutiny for child abusers in their midst. In the early 2000s, a Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland report found that Ireland had a bigger problem at the time with sexual abuse than other regions of Europe — or North America.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.