Now that the McCann couple are suspects in the disappearance of their child I’ve been noticing a slightly disturbing trend of every article mentioning their meeting with Pope Benedict last month.

As scrutiny increases expect to see this picture often. It’s just another attempt to taint the Church. If you think I’m being crazy here’s some headlines and ledes from news outlets. This from the UK Telegraph:

So it has come to this: Kate McCann is a suspect in the disappearance of her daughter. How could it be true? She went to see the Pope, for God’s sake.

This from the LA Times:

It has all the ingredients of a bestselling crime novel: A child mysteriously disappears while vacationing with her parents in Portugal; the parents fear their 4-year-old daughter has been abducted; they receive worldwide sympathy and even have a meeting with the pope.

This from the TimesOnline:

Hair and bodily fluids have been found in the boot of the car that the McCanns hired shortly before visiting the Pope at the Vatican

It goes on and on and on believe me. You would think these folks never met anyone else the past few months when they were on every show on the globe.

Just in case you think I’m paranoid the media scrutiny has not gone unnoticed. The sometimes funny and sometimes vulgar TheSpoof.com had this to say: “Lip-readers hired by the Portimao police have told the Special Prosecutor reviewing evidence in the Maddie McCann case that Pope Joseph Ratzinger might be shielding Kate McCann.”

As this thing gets uglier expect to see the same old footage of the couple meeting the Pope as often as you used to see OJ’s White Bronco. I’m just thankful OJ never met the Pope. Or did he?