Workers setup a giant photo of late Pope John Paul II at St Peter's square on April 27, 2011 at The Vatican. John Paul II will be honoured on May 1 at a solemn beatification ceremony in Saint Peter's basilica that will give the late pontiff "blessed" status for the world's 1.1 billion Catholics and put him on the path towards full sainthood.
Andreas Solaro / AFP / Getty Images
Then hundreds of thousands of Catholics gather in Rome Sunday for the beatification of Pope John Paul II, not everyone will be celebrating. For the victims of sexual abuse by predatory priests, the ceremony — a major step towards sainthood — is too much too soon for a Pontiff they say failed to adequately confront the crimes committed by members of his church. "It's the rubbing of salt into the already deep and still fresh wounds of thousands of victims," says David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. "The signal that his beatification basically sends to church employees across the globe is that no matter how many children are harmed because of your inaction, your clerical career won't suffer."/.../
