Mass rally of Priest abuse victims protest at Vatican
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Pastor Dale Morgan
Nov 1, 2010, 1:53:18 AM11/1/10
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False Churches, False Brethren, False Gospels
Mass rally of Priest abuse victims protest at Vatican
Victims of sex abuse by priests across the world took their calls for justice to Pope Benedict XVI's door on Sunday, yelling "Shame!" at a Vatican official in an angry protest.
Published: 12:00AM GMT 01 Nov 2010
Vatican protest
A member of Survivors Voice Inc. tries to speaks with Vatican's spokesman Father Federico Lombardi during a rally next to the Vatican Photo: REUTERS
Hundreds of protesters – victims of abuse and their families – gathered near St. Peter's Basilica with banners and torches and shouted "Shame on you!" at Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican's spokesman, when he appeared.
Victims from Australia, Belgium, The Netherlands and the United States held up banners saying "The Pope protects paedophile priests," "Church without abuse" and "Pope on trial."
"Enough is enough," said Bernie McDaid, victim and co-founder of Survivor's Voice, the US group behind the protest.
"Somewhere tonight in Africa a missionary is having his way with a child, taking his body for pleasure and robbing his soul, and nothing will be done to stop the perpetrator," he said.
The victims had hoped to lead a candlelit vigil to the edge of St Peter's Square to leave personal messages for the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
But the Vatican refused to give permission to enter the square and 25 police officers blocked the torch-bearing protesters from walking up the wide avenue that leads to the Basilica.
In the end only Gary Bergeron, who co-founded the US group with Mr McDaid, and another victim managed to walk up to the Vatican, though they put out their torches before entering the square.
"The continued acceptance of the systemic sexual abuse of children is nothing less than a crime against humanity," said Mr Bergeron.
"This isn't an attack on faith or religion, it's about behaviour and ethics," said Marco Lodo Rizzini, a spokesman for child victims of abuse from Italy's Antonio Provolo Institute for the Deaf, many of whom attended the demonstration.
Sixty-seven deaf and speech-impaired children at the Catholic institute in the city of Verona were allegedly abused by priests and lay staff between the 1950s and 1980s.
"The Pope keeps saying child abuse is a crime, but he needs actually to take some concrete action," said Mr Lodo Rizzini.
Claims of clerical paedophilia have emerged from across Europe and the United States, with the Church accused of not acting quickly or firmly against priests involved and even covering up the problem.
The Church is grappling with its worst crisis in years since the publication in November 2009 of a report revealing serial abuse of children by priests in Ireland and a subsequent cover-up, with similar cases unveiled in countries including Belgium and Germany.
Mass rally of Priest abuse victims protest at Vatican
Victims of sex abuse by priests across the world took their calls for justice to Pope Benedict XVI's door on Sunday, yelling "Shame!" at a Vatican official in an angry protest.
Published: 12:00AM GMT 01 Nov 2010
Vatican protest
A member of Survivors Voice Inc. tries to speaks with Vatican's spokesman Father Federico Lombardi during a rally next to the Vatican Photo: REUTERS
Hundreds of protesters – victims of abuse and their families – gathered near St. Peter's Basilica with banners and torches and shouted "Shame on you!" at Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican's spokesman, when he appeared.
Victims from Australia, Belgium, The Netherlands and the United States held up banners saying "The Pope protects paedophile priests," "Church without abuse" and "Pope on trial."
"Enough is enough," said Bernie McDaid, victim and co-founder of Survivor's Voice, the US group behind the protest.
"Somewhere tonight in Africa a missionary is having his way with a child, taking his body for pleasure and robbing his soul, and nothing will be done to stop the perpetrator," he said.
The victims had hoped to lead a candlelit vigil to the edge of St Peter's Square to leave personal messages for the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
But the Vatican refused to give permission to enter the square and 25 police officers blocked the torch-bearing protesters from walking up the wide avenue that leads to the Basilica.
In the end only Gary Bergeron, who co-founded the US group with Mr McDaid, and another victim managed to walk up to the Vatican, though they put out their torches before entering the square.
"The continued acceptance of the systemic sexual abuse of children is nothing less than a crime against humanity," said Mr Bergeron.
"This isn't an attack on faith or religion, it's about behaviour and ethics," said Marco Lodo Rizzini, a spokesman for child victims of abuse from Italy's Antonio Provolo Institute for the Deaf, many of whom attended the demonstration.
Sixty-seven deaf and speech-impaired children at the Catholic institute in the city of Verona were allegedly abused by priests and lay staff between the 1950s and 1980s.
"The Pope keeps saying child abuse is a crime, but he needs actually to take some concrete action," said Mr Lodo Rizzini.
Claims of clerical paedophilia have emerged from across Europe and the United States, with the Church accused of not acting quickly or firmly against priests involved and even covering up the problem.
The Church is grappling with its worst crisis in years since the publication in November 2009 of a report revealing serial abuse of children by priests in Ireland and a subsequent cover-up, with similar cases unveiled in countries including Belgium and Germany.
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