Victims of sexual abuse by priests Tuesday demanded Pope Benedict take concrete steps to discipline clerics who have molested children, saying a public apology they expect this week from the pope will not be enough. The U.S.-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said the pope was expected to use a June 9-11 meeting of the world's priests at the Vatican to issue an apology over a widening sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church.
But the group said any apology was meaningless unless the pontiff also set a "zero-tolerance policy" for pedophile priests or church officials involved in any cover-up and turned over files on abuse cases to the authorities.
"We're going to hear a lot about forgiveness, but we want to talk about justice," Peter Isely, a SNAP leader who said he had been abused by a priest, told a news conference near the Vatican.
The group held up pictures of Church officials and displayed childhood photos of abuse victims.
The 83-year-old German pontiff, facing the worst crisis of his five-year papacy, has said the Church has to seek forgiveness from abuse victims and has promised it will do all it can to probe accusations and bring culprits to justice.
But SNAP said more children risked assault by priests unless the pope acted now.
"This isn't a problem of the past," said Barbara Dorris, another group leader. "Children around the world are being abused right now."
SIC: Reuters