ITALY/VATICAN: Victims of abuse by Roman Catholic priests say they are seeking U.N. resolution

Record ID: 334801

  • Title: ITALY/VATICAN: Victims of abuse by Roman Catholic priests say they are seeking U.N. resolution
  • Date: 30th October 2010
  • Summary: VATICAN CITY, ROME (OCTOBER 29, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS ST PETER'S SQUARE ROME, ITALY (OCTOBER 29, 2010) (REUTERS) FOUNDERS OF SURVIVOR VOICE TALKING AMONGST THEMSELVES CO-FOUNDER OF SURVIVOR VOICE GARY BERGERON SURVIVOR VOICE FOUNDERS PREPARING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) SURVIVOR VOICE CO-FOUNDER GARY BERGERON, SAYING: "We're asking that the world stand behind us, stand with us, look at this U.N. petition that we are starting on Sunday so that we can get the U.N. to define systemic sexual abuse of children under crimes against humanity. If that is not a crime against humanity I don't know what else could possibly be it." WIDE VIEW OF FOUNDERS TALKING TO NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) SURVIVORS VOICE CO-FOUNDER BERNIE MCDAID, SAYING: "We are not crippled, we are injured people who are willing to talk about it now and people need to address it in that fashion and we do not need to be spoken for we can speak up and be spoken to. The guilt and the shame is in the cover-up not in the fact that it happened to us." MEMBER OF MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) SURVIVORS VOICE CO-FOUNDER BERNIE MCDAID, SAYING: "This is why we're here, its about survivors now. Not religion, not church or politics and if enough people will stand up for this problem the politicians will have to change, this is what we are doing." MORE OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) SURVIVORS VOICE CO-FOUNDER GARY BERGERON, SAYING: "My son will never have to stand up in front of you people and say it happened to him."
  • Embargoed: 14th November 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Vatican City State, Italy
  • City:
  • Country: Italy Vatican City State
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA3UT8N5E3DI4NT35B7SDY4UXZ1
  • Story Text: A campaign group for victims of abuse by Roman Catholic priests said on Friday (October 29) they would seek a U.N resolution declaring systemic sexual abuse of children a crime against humanity.
    Non profit group Survivors Voice, founded by Bernie McDaid and Gary Bergeron, said they planned to march on the Vatican as part of a two-day rally from Saturday (October 30) to promote their campaign.
    "We are asking that the world stand behind us, stand with us, and look at this petition that we are starting on Sunday so that we can get the U.N. to define systemic sexual abuse of children under crimes against humanity," said Bergeron.
    McDaid, 54 and Bergeron, 47, were abused by the same priest as children -- in different parishes in the Boston area of the U.S. some seven years apart.
    They met as adults in 2002 when a clerical abuse scandal swept the United States.
    "We are not crippled, we are injured people who are willing to talk about it now. The guilt and the shame is in the cover-up," said McDaid, who become one of the first abuse victims to meet with Pope Benedict in Washington in 2008.
    "This is why we're here, its about survivors now. Not religion, not church or politics and if enough people will stand up for this problem the politicians will have to change, this is what we are doing." he added.
    Survivors Voice will be joined for the weekend-long rally by victims of abuse from 12 countries.
    Italian police have denied them a permit for the last leg of the demonstration -- a candlelit march on the Vatican -- but organisers say they will continue regardless.
    Sexual abuse by the Roman Catholic clergy hit the headlines again this year after victims came forward in countries including Ireland, Austria, Italy and the Pope's native Germany.
    Bishops in several European countries have resigned either because they had abused children or because of their mishandling of abuse cases.
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