On October 3, 1992, Sinead O'Connor appeared on Saturday Night Live. She sang Bob Marley's "War" to protest sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and changed the lyric "racism" to "child abuse." Then she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II and tossed the pieces into the camera. The resulting outrage over this insightful act of courage all but destroyed her career.

Twenty-one years and two popes later the Church's sexual abuse crimes and cover-ups are still coming to light on a scale that staggers the imagination.

And as nearly as I can tell, Madonna, Joe Pesci, Lorne Michaels, The New York Daily News, NBC, and all the rest of O'Connor's censors and detractors have yet to express a single word of regret for taking such a cowardly stand on the wrong side of history.