'Don't Stop Hoping For Madeleine And Claudia'

6:15am UK, Sunday April 12, 2009
The Archbishop of York has called for renewed hope in the searches for Claudia Lawrence and Madeleine McCann.



Dr John Sentamu said he could not imagine the pain and suffering endured by the families of the missing.

But he said the Easter celebration of the triumph of life over death should inspire people never to give up hoping they will be found.

"In both Claudia and Madeleine's cases, someone knows where they are," Archbishop Sentamu told the News of the World.

"The message of Easter is a message of hope, and our hope that those who are lost may yet be found must not be diminished by the lack of media coverage that comes as time passes.

He could have left a message for ALL people missing in the world but he picks the 2 cute blonde ones.

Does anyone else think this is out of order? What about Amy Fitzpatrick and the kids over in Tenerife who are in the news alot too?

I agree. At Easter he should have remembered all missing people. To single out two is to diminish the pain and worry of all their relatives.

That said, I had to have a wry smile because actually, he has highlighted the difference between the 2 cases he chose to comment on.
One is an adult who had every right to be alone, the other is a small child who should have been protected.
Both families are experiencing pain and suffering, true, but for opposite reasons. The Mccanns are more concerned in saving their own skin rather than seriously searching for their daughter. Claudias family are appealing for help, not trademarking her name and turning her into a money making machine.

The two cases couldn't be further apart. All IMO of course.

justagrannynow wrote:I agree. At Easter he should have remembered all missing people. To single out two is to diminish the pain and worry of all their relatives.

That said, I had to have a wry smile because actually, he has highlighted the difference between the 2 cases he chose to comment on.
One is an adult who had every right to be alone, the other is a small child who should have been protected.
Both families are experiencing pain and suffering, true, but for opposite reasons. The Mccanns are more concerned in saving their own skin rather than seriously searching for their daughter. Claudias family are appealing for help, not trademarking her name and turning her into a money making machine.

The two cases couldn't be further apart. All IMO of course.

Very well said gran

Perhaps by noting the names of the most recent missing person and one of two years ago, both still highly profiled, he hoped that we would all pray for all missing people/children...just perhaps a reflection of the goodwill of the Easter message.

snowflake wrote:Perhaps by noting the names of the most recent missing person and one of two years ago, both still highly profiled, he hoped that we would all pray for all missing people/children...just perhaps a reflection of the goodwill of the Easter message.

Or maybe Gerry slipped him a tenner?

snowflake wrote:Perhaps by noting the names of the most recent missing person and one of two years ago, both still highly profiled, he hoped that we would all pray for all missing people/children...just perhaps a reflection of the goodwill of the Easter message.

Sorry Snowflake, I have to disagree.

I grew up during WW11 when most able bodied men were called up into the armed services. It was before tv and the internet. The newsreels at the cinemas, the newspapers and the radio were all heavily censored, so parents, mothers and children were left with little idea of whether their menfolk were alive, dead, injured or captured. The only thing we had to cling to was God, and the Church, and prayer played a big part in our lives. Every Sunday morning the minister said a prayer for the sick in the community and " all our loved ones who cannot be here with us today". As these words were said, me and my mother would think of my dad, and I have no doubt that this was the same for everybody else. To have singled out any particular man would have caused anger and outrage and divided the community. We were all in the same boat and nobodys worry and concern was different to anybody elses.
When official letters arrived informing a family of a death or, in our case my father was captured by the Japanese, the local minister was on hand to offer personal prayers and comfort and the community rallied round too with hugs and little gifts of flowers or food, but come Sunday it was the general prayer for everybody which was said. Nobody was singled out and it was this which bonded the community together.

The Archbishop of Canterbury was broadcasting his Easter message to a worldwide audience and, IMO, should not have mentioned either Claudia or Madeleine. Personal prayers are the responsibility of the local minister/priest unless a special service has been arranged for a specific purpose. Imagine the feeling in Italy if the Pope, in his Easter address, had named one or two people who had lost their lives in the Italian earthquake, rather than offering his words of comfort to all those affected.

Why is it the police are saying its a murder enquiry as far as claudia is concerned yet......with maddie its still a missing person enquiry?

kitti wrote:Why is it the police are saying its a murder enquiry as far as claudia is concerned yet......with maddie its still a missing person enquiry?

That's a good point Kitti. As is always the case, it's one rule for the Mccanns and another for the rest of the world.

justagrannynow wrote:I agree. At Easter he should have remembered all missing people. To single out two is to diminish the pain and worry of all their relatives.

That said, I had to have a wry smile because actually, he has highlighted the difference between the 2 cases he chose to comment on.
One is an adult who had every right to be alone, the other is a small child who should have been protected.
Both families are experiencing pain and suffering, true, but for opposite reasons. The Mccanns are more concerned in saving their own skin rather than seriously searching for their daughter. Claudias family are appealing for help, not trademarking her name and turning her into a money making machine.

The two cases couldn't be further apart. All IMO of course.

Claudia didnt even have blond hair when she went missing, it was dark.