In preparation for the world’s largest gathering of young Catholics in Lisbon, a massive billboard highlighting sexual abuse by clergymen has been erected overnight. The event, known as World Youth Day, was initiated by the late Pope John Paul II for Catholic teens and young adults, and is held every two or three years in a different city.
This year’s event follows a report released six months earlier by a Portuguese commission which revealed that at least 4,815 minors had suffered sexual abuse at the hands of clergy, predominantly priests, over a period of seven decades. The commission stressed that this figure represented only the “tip of the iceberg”.
Pope Francis, who is expected to be in Portugal until August 6, will meet privately with abuse victims during his visit. The billboard, located on Almirante Reis avenue – one of Lisbon’s busiest streets, states, “4,800+ children abused by the Catholic Church in Portugal” and consists of 4,815 dots symbolizing each victim.
The organization behind the campaign, called This Is Our Memorial, expressed that “nothing can repair the experience and lives of these more than 4,800 victims.” They emphasized the importance of remembering the victims in order to prevent future occurrences.
Although the Church pledged to unveil a memorial during the week-long event, a specific date has not yet been set, as the project is still under consideration.
Lisbon Patriarch Manuel Clemente reassured on Monday that the Portuguese church is fully committed to addressing the issue of clergy sexual abuse. In addition to the billboard in Lisbon, two other billboards have been placed in the neighboring municipalities of Loures and Oeiras, where World Youth Day activities will also take place.
Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by David Latona and Alison Williams
Credit: The Star : News Feed
