Maddy's parents leave for Vatican

Maddy's parents leave for Vatican



[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]


Kate and Gerry McCann are in Rome to see the Pope

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]


Kate and Gerry McCann walk to Sir Philip Green's private jet at Faro airport as they leave for
Rome




By Richard Edwards and Fiona Govan in Praia da Luz

12:01AM BST 30 May 2007

• Video: McCanns in Rome
  
• My Telegraph: Why leave your children
  again?
  

The parents of Madeleine McCann last night said an emotional farewell to
their two-year-old twins as they left Portugal together for the first time since
their daughter's disappearance to visit the Pope.


[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]


Almost four weeks after Madeleine was abducted, Gerry and Kate McCann flew to
Rome after receiving a formal invitation from the Vatican.


Mrs McCann carried with her a small photograph of Madeleine which she will
present to Pope Benedict XVI at a general audience in St Peter's Square today.



For the 38-year-old mother, a devout catholic, it is a visit of conflicting
emotions.



Related Articles

• 
  Top team behind Madeleine campaign
  30 May 2007
  

Clarence Mitchell, a spokesman for the family, said: "This is for them a very
important spiritual visit, albeit in the most appalling of circumstances. The
tone will be private, serious and sombre."

Mr and Mrs McCann left their apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz
yesterday afternoon, kissing goodbye to their twins, Sean and Amelie. They hope
to be back in time tonight to put them to bed.

They took more than a minute outside their apartment to kiss and wave goodbye
to the twins, picking them up in turn and hugging them closely, stroking their
hair and talking quietly to them.

Mr McCann wiped away a tear as he walked towards the waiting car, arm-in-arm
with his wife. The twins are being left in the care of their aunt, Trish
Cameron, and her husband, Sandy.

Mr Mitchell said: "They have decided not to take Sean and Amelie because they
think it may be too much for them.

"They are being properly cared for in a safe environment. The kids might find
the whole thing a bit stressful and they are not sure it is fair to put them
through it. They stick to their normal daily routine in Portugal.

"If they were a little bit older I think Gerry and Kate probably would take
them."

It emerged last night that a British child psychologist is due to fly to
Portugal this week in an attempt to talk to the twins. It is hoped the expert
may be able to coax out information about the night of Madeleine's
disappearance. Sean and Amelie were in their cots in the same room as their
four-year-old sister when she was taken.

The visit to Rome is the first time Mr an Mrs McCann have left Portugal as a
couple and they intend to use it as a "template" for other trips as they
continue their campaign to raise worldwide awareness about Madeleine.

They also plan trips to Madrid, Berlin and Amsterdam, where they intend to
meet children's charities and government ministers with a portfolio for child
welfare.

Sir Philip Green, the British billionaire retail tycoon, has loaned his
private jet to the McCanns for their visit to Rome. Mr Mitchell said: "They are
travelling around Europe for a reason: to help bring back Madeleine."

They have emphasised that they do not want to be seen as a "celebrity couple"
and only accepted Sir Philip's "kind" offer for practical reasons, and so that
they could get back to see the twins as soon as possible.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]


Mr and Mrs McCann were greeted in Rome by the British ambassador to the Holy
See, Francis Campbell, and stayed at his residence. This morning they will
attend a General Audience at the Vatican. It is believed the Pope will refer to
Madeleine "prominently" during prayers. As many as 40,000 people are expected to
gather in St Peter's Square.

Once the main part of the audience has finished, he is introduced to around
25 carefully selected people.

As honoured guests, Kate and Gerry McCann will sit in the front row, known as
the prima fila, normally reserved for heads of state and dignitaries. The Pope
will speak to them in English and may also invite them to a private audience
afterwards.

Meanwhile detectives in Portugal investigating the disappearance of Madeleine
faced renewed criticism yesterday when it emerged they had released conflicting
accounts of the witness description of a man seen carrying a child outside the
McCanns' holiday apartment at around the time Madeleine went missing.

It is understood that the witness, who had become friends with the McCanns
during their holiday, told detectives that the man she had seen was around 5ft
7in but in a press conference given last Friday police issued a description of a
man some three inches taller.

A police spokesman told Portuguese media the man they were looking for was
around 1m 70cm (about 5ft 7in), but the English language description issued at
the same time put his height at 5ft 10in. It is believed that an "administrative
error" in converting measurements from metric to imperial led to the
mistake.

"The police have made a mistake," a family source said yesterday. "It seems
the details were lost in translation. What has happened is that police have
given out the description of quite a tall man when they should have been talking
about someone relatively short."

Thanks! This is such a revealing episode. The life they wanted arrived very quickly.

A long piece and cuttings on the Vatican visit on: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Clip from the Press conference on the 30th in Rome. (fairly long and Clarence master of ceremonies).

Vatican Radio: "Susie Hodges from Vatican Radio. What lessons do you give
to other parents that have to go through this appalling experience?


Gerry McCann:
"I... We hope and pray that no-one ever does go through it
again. Errm... I
think... I hope that, if it does happen, that there will be some
template, errr... from what we
have done, as our
extended family, that will help raise the awareness for any other
missing children and it's possible tosuch cases. Having
spoken, errm... to peop... you know, errr... people around us, then stayed strong and taking control even
of small things because you feel totally out of control in those first hours and taking control
of this... of this smallest decisions helps you cope and think rationally and influence things around you and that, I think,
is the most important thing."
unquote

In short order we hear of a 'template' - 'other missing children' and a revealing three times use of the word 'control' in one sentence.
Which leads me to think that the ambassadorship for missing children was already high on the agenda. That Gerry had control in the first hours and most interestingly - a template based on their actions.

There are a lot of photographs on the above link - the one of Clarrie pushing aside others (in order to shake the Pope's hand!) is nothing short of hilarious.
Apparently the attempt was foiled by an attendant priest who gave Clarrie a rosary.

The McCanns were whooshed from the Vatican website fairly soon.

In the complete transcript there's also this little gem:

Clarence Mitchell: "Just one or two more. Yep."

Unknown: "Yes, I just have a very short question. This toy that you have on your table, was it Madeleine's? And how would she call it?

Kate McCann: "Errm... It was Madeleine's, yes. She took... she takes it to bed with her every night or if she's upset or something she'll have it. It's... it's actually called 'Cuddle Cat' - not very inventive, sorry. It was... it was actually the name of that... that... that it already had."

Gerry McCann: "It is a cat though. Ha, ha."
Unquote

Kate's diary and Gerry's blog re the trip to Rome also reveal a lot.

Mr Mitchell said: "They have decided not to take Sean and Amelie because they
think it may be too much for them.

"They are being properly cared for in a safe environment.

As opposed to what, precisely ?

PeterMac wrote:

Mr Mitchell said: "They have decided not to take Sean and Amelie because they
think it may be too much for them.

"They are being properly cared for in a safe environment.

As opposed to what, precisely ?

You really need to ask, Peter?

I just love it when people say things they think might help, but actually draw attention to the exact opposite. The Pink one is a master of this.

You're right. Clarence has done a great deal of damage to the McCanns reputation with his incredibly poor communication skills. The fact that he is highly paid for his communication "skills" is hilarious. A bit like an alcoholic running an AA meeting.

Why do they keep him on the payroll?

PeterMac wrote:

Mr Mitchell said: "They have decided not to take Sean and Amelie because they
think it may be too much for them.

"They are being properly cared for in a safe environment.

As opposed to what, precisely ?

It depends on who you consider the "them" being referred to in that sentance. It could be that it is all too much for Kate and Gerry, to take the twins. They couldn't take them to the Millenium restaurant, hardly likely to take them to Rome.

The Telegraph article mentions that a child psychologist was due to talk to the twins. I presume that never happened - I wonder why not?

It would have been worth a try - as with Rachel Nickell's son, I know he was nearer to three than two though - but then again, perhaps the thought of what might come from "the mouths of babes" was enough to scupper the idea.

plebgate wrote:Why do they keep him on the payroll?

He knows a lot

tigger wrote:Thanks! This is such a revealing episode. The life they wanted arrived very quickly.

A long piece and cuttings on the Vatican visit on: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Clip from the Press conference on the 30th in Rome. (fairly long and Clarence master of ceremonies).

Vatican Radio: "Susie Hodges from Vatican Radio. What lessons do you give
to other parents that have to go through this appalling experience?


Gerry McCann:
"I... We hope and pray that no-one ever does go through it
again. Errm... I
think... I hope that, if it does happen, that there will be some
template, errr... from what we
have done, as our
extended family, that will help raise the awareness for any other
missing children and it's possible tosuch cases. Having
spoken, errm... to peop... you know, errr... people around us, then stayed strong and taking control even
of small things because you feel totally out of control in those first hours and taking control
of this... of this smallest decisions helps you cope and think rationally and influence things around you and that, I think,
is the most important thing."
unquote

In short order we hear of a 'template' - 'other missing children' and a revealing three times use of the word 'control' in one sentence.
Which leads me to think that the ambassadorship for missing children was already high on the agenda. That Gerry had control in the first hours and most interestingly - a template based on their actions.

There are a lot of photographs on the above link - the one of Clarrie pushing aside others (in order to shake the Pope's hand!) is nothing short of hilarious.
Apparently the attempt was foiled by an attendant priest who gave Clarrie a rosary.

The McCanns were whooshed from the Vatican website fairly soon.

In the complete transcript there's also this little gem:

Clarence Mitchell: "Just one or two more. Yep."

Unknown: "Yes, I just have a very short question. This toy that you have on your table, was it Madeleine's? And how would she call it?

Kate McCann: "Errm... It was Madeleine's, yes. She took... she takes it to bed with her every night or if she's upset or something she'll have it. It's... it's actually called 'Cuddle Cat' - not very inventive, sorry. It was... it was actually the name of that... that... that it already had."

Gerry McCann: "It is a cat though. Ha, ha."
Unquote

Note gerry's change of pronoun from the stong I to the weaker WE, when he is asked what lessons he would give to other parents.

WE indicates unity, sharing.

Why does he add the word AGAIN ?

Has he gone through it before?

The sentence doesn't make sense.

It makes more sense as" I hope and pray no-one ever goes through what we have gone through"

He then changes back to the singular pronoun I in regard to think and hope.

I think leaves it open for others to think otherwise.

WE hope and pray then changes to I think and hope.

What is the IT that does happen?

He does't say if your child is abducted so we can't say it for him.

What is the template we have done (shows unity) that we have done?

Breaks in sentences indicate the subject is self censoring/editing, why is this particularly noticeable in relation to speaking to people around us?

Which people is he referring to,the tapas 7 perhaps?

It would fit in with his talk of taking control.

He has just implicated them.

They have refused to co-operate fully in the investigation, refused to take part in any police reconstruction, refused to answer 48 questions, hired defence and extradition lawyers, sued or thretened to sue anyone who disagrees with their version of events, demeaned and defamed the lead detective, sent up a draudulent fund, used money meant for the search on mortgage paments, legal fees, trael expenses and any number of other non search related items, non transparent annual accounts, misleading the pubklic in that it is a charity not a fund.

He doesn't tell us what the template involves

Notice he introduces his extended family in the template of what has been done.

Has he just incriminated them?

If so will they face possible charges of obstruction, perverting the course of justice, fraud etc?

How has their template raised awareness of other missing children?

The time they linked their case to a missing girl, the parents demanded they remove heir daughter from the Madeleine posters ( IIRC the murderer was known to the family)

They have hijacked numerous charity events in order to promote their fund.

He gets a case of verbal diarrohea when it comes to speaking to people around him with people reeated twice making it sensitive

Note the dropped pronoun when it comes to talking to people, if he can't take ownership, we can't do it for him.

Control is repeated three times aking it highly sensitive to him.

He uses the pronoun YOU which is distancing rater than the expected I.

He doesn't tell us he wasn't in control only that YOU (us) were

What is his definition of small things?

What is his definition of the smallest decisions?

What is the difference between small things and smallest decisions?

How does control of these things influence things around you?

What kind of influence does he mean good or bad?

This is close that is distancing, he distances himself from taking control and influencing things.

Control is the most important thing he thinks leaving others to think otherwise.

In that statement we see gerry use the following pronouns:

I x 4

WE x 2

OUR x 1

US x 1

YOU x 3



Oh dear it WAS Madeleines not IS?

Is it not hers anymore?

Will it ever be hers again?

Why does she need to affirm it was Madeleine's after telling us it was hers. who else would it belong to?

She TOOK?

When SORRY appears in statement it should be noted and flagged

Dropped pronouns in relation to sorry

It WAS the name it actually had not IS?

When a normally fluent speaker starts stammering over words it must be noted as sensitive.

Why is she stammering over cuddlecat?

Why is it sensitive to her?

She doesn't answer the question which was what did Madeleine call it?

She told us what it was actually called not that Madeleine called it cuddlecat

Actually is used to compare 2 or more things, what is she comparing?

In a simple answer in relation to Madeleine's toy we have 2 x it's , 2 x it was and 3 x that.

She took it to bed with her every night, if she was upset or something, what is the something she refers to if it isn't bedtime or upset?



Most children with a favorite comforter such as a cuddly toy will carry it around with them or hav in close proximity as amy parent who has had a child lose theirs will know all too well. tears and tantrums.

Vatican Radio: "Susie Hodges from Vatican Radio. What lessons do you give
to other parents that have to go through this appalling experience?


Gerry McCann:
"I... We hope and pray that no-one ever does go through it
again. Errm... I
think... I hope that, if it does happen, that there will be some
template, errr... from what we
have done, as our
extended family, that will help raise the awareness for any other
missing children and it's possible tosuch cases. Having
spoken, errm... to peop... you know, errr... people around us, then stayed strong and taking control even
of small things because you feel totally out of control in those first hours and taking control
of this... of this smallest decisions helps you cope and think rationally and influence things around you and that, I think,
is the most important thing."
unquote

This is all such hogwash. Template, raise awareness, blah, blah, blah.....

The obvious answer would be "....don't leave small children unattended. Their safety is more important than a few drinks with friends, or saving money on a babysitter."

@ Hobs: I was hoping you'd come in on this. Thanks!
It's the control, imo Gerry wants control and the recent discussion here on their first press appearance when they looked very scared (Gerry looked like he'd been caught by the headmaster emptying the cookie jar, Kate looked catatonic) shows that. 'It's a disaster' says reports Gerry to his extended family (Hobs!) I think the disaster was that things had gone out of his control. Not working according to the template.

What I also found telling was the last remark by Gerry - rescuing Kate from her embarrassment 'It's a cat, ha, ha!'

If that cat was bought as a prop. which is what I believe, it didn't spend much time with Maddie. Enough to get cadaver odour on it, but not DNA - contrary to what Jon Corner said, that Cc was 'reeking with Maddie's DNA' . Well, ideal for the dogs to use then I'd think.

Cuddlecat (apart from having two websites at the time - one co.uk and one org.uk) is of particular interest to me. Carrying CC around proves to the world that Kate cares. Imo it's highly unlikely that a 4 year old wouldn't have her own special name for her squeeze and it seems clear to me that Kate is embarrassed to admit it's not the case.

@ Hobs
"Most children with a favorite comforter
such as a cuddly toy will carry it around with them or have in close
proximity as any parent who has had a child lose theirs will know all
too well. tears and tantrums."

So right! My then 4-5 year-old nephew once forgot his plush dog in an overnight hotel halfway France. Terrible drive home. Inconsolable, panic, freaking out ... Hardly slept until the package from the hotel arrived. And then dictated his mother a thank-you letter to the hotel personnel [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

tigger wrote:@ Hobs: I was hoping you'd come in on this. Thanks!
It's the control, imo Gerry wants control and the recent discussion here on their first press appearance when they looked very scared (Gerry looked like he'd been caught by the headmaster emptying the cookie jar, Kate looked catatonic) shows that. 'It's a disaster' says reports Gerry to his extended family (Hobs!) I think the disaster was that things had gone out of his control. Not working according to the template.

What I also found telling was the last remark by Gerry - rescuing Kate from her embarrassment 'It's a cat, ha, ha!'

If that cat was bought as a prop. which is what I believe, it didn't spend much time with Maddie. Enough to get cadaver odour on it, but not DNA - contrary to what Jon Corner said, that Cc was 'reeking with Maddie's DNA' . Well, ideal for the dogs to use then I'd think.

Cuddlecat (apart from having two websites at the time - one co.uk and one org.uk) is of particular interest to me. Carrying CC around proves to the world that Kate cares. Imo it's highly unlikely that a 4 year old wouldn't have her own special name for her squeeze and it seems clear to me that Kate is embarrassed to admit it's not the case.

Maddie never had CC.

There is no evidence of that.

Trademark CC: yes, that's why it was touted all over the place, even in the private jet of mr Green (see the frontispice of the book: Catch us if you can)

Barf.

Sorry.

Just to remind everybody of the most toe-curling statement by Mrs. K. :

plebgate wrote:Why do they keep him on the payroll?

So that they can use (yes, use) him to continue repeating Maddie was taken by egg-man.

Châtelaine wrote:Just to remind everybody of the most toe-curling statement by Mrs. K. :

Blood curling in fact! Very painful to watch.

Diana's interview with Martin Bashir is a good example as comparison of someone who speaks the truth genuinely from the heart, as opposed to Kate's disingenuous contrived self.