Today is the 78th day since Madeleine McCann disappeared.In the intervening months, floods have devastated Britain, would-be suicide bombers have sought to wreak death and destruction at Glasgow Airport and Alan Johnston, the BBC reporter held hostage in Palestine, has been released. All these stories have temporarily dominated our attention but the fate of the four-year-old girl whose face we have come to know so well still haunts us.
Probably no other story since the death of Diana has so emotionally involved the British public. Even the horrors of Soham, when Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were murdered, did not impinge as much on our daily lives, if only because the fate of those girls was discovered sooner.
Why does this case exercise such an unparalleled hold on our thoughts? Because none of us, whether we have children of our own or not, can bear to imagine what such a young child must be going through, torn from the love and care of her family. We know that nothing is more important than resolving this awful situation.But the impact of Madeleine’s disappearance has been far greater than the scale of the hunt to find her. Across the world, vigils have been held in her name. People of all faiths have prayed for her. Millions of people with no other link to Madeleine or her parents anxiously scour the news each day for a hopeful sign.
Public figures and celebrities have joined the international campaign to find her. Footballers David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo have made televised appeals. The Pope showed his support by meeting Gerry and Kate McCann in St Peter’s Square. (Daily Express)
