A huge poster, denouncing the sexual abuse of children by clergy, was put up overnight in Lisbon, hours before the arrival of Pope Franciswho arrived in the Portuguese capital today for a five-day visit focused on the largest meeting of young Catholics in the world.
The ITA Airways plane carrying the pontiff, his entourage and journalists landed at Lisbon’s Figo Maduro military air base.
Pope Francis’ first stop will be a welcoming ceremony hosted by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Souza at the Belem Presidential Palace.
World Youth Day was devised by the late Pope John Paul II for Catholic teenagers and those in their 20s and is held every two or three years in a different city.
The event comes less than six months after the release of a report by a Portuguese commission, which found at least 4,815 minors were sexually abused by clergy – mostly priests – over seven decades. The committee emphasized that this is only “the tip of the iceberg”.
Francis, who will be in Portugal until August 6, he is expected to meet privately with abuse victims.
The poster was posted on Avenida Almirante Reis – one of Lisbon’s longest and busiest streets – and reads: “4,800+ children abused by the Catholic Church in Portugal.”
It also has 4,815 dots, one for each victim.
“Nothing can fix the experience and the lives of these more than 4,800 victims,” ​​the organization that carried out the campaign in question, titled “This Is Our Memorial,” says on its website. “What we can and should do is remember them. Let’s give them a voice. So that what happened never happens again.”
The Church had promised that a monument would be unveiled during the week-long event, but a date has not yet been set and the Church announced that the plan is still being considered.
Lisbon Patriarch Manuel Clemente said on Monday that the Portuguese church’s commitment to tackling sexual abuse by clergy is “complete”.
Another two posters have also been posted in the neighboring municipalities of Loures and Oeiras, where World Youth Day events will also take place.
Source: News Beast
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