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Irish pop singer Sinéad O'Connor tears up a picture of Pope John Paul II on "Saturday Night Live" [1]

On October 3, 1992, the Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor appeared as the musical guest on the American live television sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL).

On October 3, 1992, the Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor appeared as the musical guest on the American live television sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). While performing a rendition of Bob Marley's 1976 song "War", she staged a protest against the Catholic Church, holding a photograph of Pope John Paul II up to the camera and tearing it to pieces, saying afterwards "fight the real enemy" and throwing the torn photo to the floor.

In an interview a few weeks after the performance, O'Connor said she held the Catholic Church responsible for physical, sexual and emotional abuse she had suffered as a child. She also said that the Church had destroyed "entire races of people", and that Catholic priests had been beating and sexually abusing children for years.

Historical Significance

On October 3, 1992, the Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor appeared as the musical guest on the American live television sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL).

Key People

John Paul II

–

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Events After

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  2. "Farewell My Concubine," directed by Chen Kaige from a novel by Lilian Lee, starring Leslie Cheung, Zhang Fengyi, and Go

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  3. Brian Lara scores his maiden Test century with 277 for the West Indies v Australia in drawn 3rd Test at the Sydney Crick

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  4. Michael Jordan's game-high 35 points leads Chicago Bulls to a 120-95 win over Milwaukee Bucks, giving him exactly 20,000

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  5. US Senator Mitch McConnell (51) weds businesswoman Elaine Chao (39)

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on October 3, 1992?
On October 3, 1992, the Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor appeared as the musical guest on the American live television sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). While performing a rendition of Bob Marley's 1976 song "War", she staged a protest against the Catholic Church, holding a photograph of Pope John Paul II up to the camera and tearing it to pieces, saying afterwards "fight the real enemy" and throwing the torn photo to the floor. In an interview a few weeks after the performance, O'Connor said she held the Catholic Church responsible for physical, sexual and emotional abuse she had suffered as a child.
Why is Irish pop singer Sinéad O'Connor tears up a picture of Pope John Paul II on "... significant?
On October 3, 1992, the Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor appeared as the musical guest on the American live television sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL).
Who was involved in Irish pop singer Sinéad O'Connor tears up a picture of Pope John Paul II on "...?
Key figures include John Paul II.

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October 3 in HistoryYear 1992