Catholic Church Sex Abuse Victims Hold Vigil in Vatican

Press TV
April 26, 2014

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/04/26/360146/sex-abuse-victims-hold-vigil-in-vatican/

[with video]

Multinational victims of the Catholic Church sex abuse have held a candle-lit vigil at the Vatican in protest against upcoming canonization of Pope John Paul II.

The vigil by the Survivors’ Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) was held in Vatican City on Friday.

SNAP members from all over the world traveled to the Vatican and lit candles and displayed pictures of children who had suffered abuse from Catholic priests.

The vigil was held in protest against Pope John Paul II being declared a saint, which is scheduled for Sunday.

On April 11, Pope Francis issued an apology for child sexual abuse scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church recently.

The pontiff issued the apology during a meeting with a children’s rights group known as the International Catholic Child Bureau. It can be considered as his first official apology for the sex abuse scandals.

Francis has come under fire for failure to address the scandal.

The bureau consists of international and religious experts on sex abuse, and will consider measures to protect children, better screen priests, and train church personnel.

Over the past few years, the Roman Catholic Church has been facing numerous scandals of child sexual abuse by priests, mainly in the United States and Europe.